


This Is A Storm I Created...

by Fandoms_R_Fun



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Homophobia, being in the closet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:12:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_R_Fun/pseuds/Fandoms_R_Fun
Summary: Maxine Caulfield is a normal High School Senior. She goes to school with her friends, she watches cat videos and complains about classes like everyone else. But, she has a secret. She's gay.Not only is she gay, but she is tired of the way things are and she almost wants to come out. But that's not something that people do in rural Arcadia Bay. Besides, Max has never been one to rock the boat.That is, until SHE came around...





	1. Welcome to The Closet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Homophobia ahead, please watch out.

_I have never been one who was good at keeping secrets, especially big ones._

_The worst thing that I have ever done, that anyone else knows about, is when I was twelve, I went to get some batteries from the junk drawer in my father's workshop and took the lighter to see if I could make it work. I kept flicking it on until it ran out of fluid, but I didn't know that. So, when my father came home from work, I was the jumpiest person in the whole town. He instantly knew something was off and he'd barely asked me what was wrong before I burst into tears, told him happened, and begged him not to hate me for breaking his lighter. I was grounded, after he stopped laughing, and he explained to me what had actually happened._

_I've never been that smart either._

_Whenever I try to do something cool, I always mess it up. I'll try to bake a cake for someone and I'll make the three stooges look like chefs. I can make Homer Simpson look like a genius sometimes. I'm always so slow when it comes to understanding school work. I almost have no redeeming qualities._

_I get by in life because I'm really good at reading people, and I'm able to make a social interaction go my way._

_But, no matter how much I want to talk, and no matter how hard it is to keep hidden, I can't let people know my biggest secret..._

I stare across the room, seeing her. Her electric blue hair is shoulder length and she is wearing ripped jeans and a band tee. 

"I don't get what the boys see in her. She's just some punk girl that moved here from out of state. Besides, I heard something about her." I look over at Sharen and raise my eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. She looks around, pretty needlessly in the almost empty lunchroom, and whispers into my ear. "I heard someone say that she's...one of those kinda girls."

My heart beats faster. I try my best to keep from dropping my sandwich, raising my other eyebrow. I swallow my sandwich and Marcy leans over, whispering to us. "So you're telling me, that we have a dyke in our school!?" Sharen nods, disgust written all over her face.

_uugh, why do I have to live in a place where this crap is normal..._

I groan and shake my head, pretending to be upset with them. "What is the world come to...." I grumble, loud enough for them to hear.

_...what is the world come to where someone can't love someone else without being turned into the anti-christ?_

I stare over at her, seeing that she is winking at one of the skater guys that's talking to her. "We have to start taking measures." I look over at Sharen, seeing the fire of hate in her eyes. "We can't let that thing spread it's disease. We have to keep it away from the girl's locker room and we have to make sure to stay away from it. No telling what it could try to do to us..."

_We're not talking about an it you close minded imbecile, she's a person. A living, breathing, thinking person..._

"I think that we should try and gather information on it, see what we can do to keep it away." Marcy speaks up, crossing her arms over her chest. "We need to know if it's planning anything."

"Don't worry, I got this." I take the last bite of my sandwich, grabbing my tray.

"Maxine, are you sure about that? You don't know what she could try! Let one of us come with you, safety in numbers!" Sharen looks like she might pop a vein and I have to pat her shoulder to get her to calm down a little.

"Don't, you might scare it away. Let me do this, I still remember something from self defense classes if it comes to it." I give them a fake smile, praying to God that they don't see through my bullshit.

"Well, okay. But be careful Maxine, I don't want you to..." She looks around, again needlessly. "...catch the gay..."

I try to put on my best serious face and I nod, turning away and walking towards the table.

_I can't let people know my biggest secret... I'm gay..._

I walk over to her, smiling at her as I take my seat next to her. "Well, I can't wait to see what you can do on your board man, let's make sure to hit the skate park sometime."

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Justin smiles, getting up and glancing at me from the corner of his eye, his lips tilting up ever so slightly. I can feel the looks of disgust focusing in on him as he walks away, turning in his tray.

_Well, we both know it's the price he agreed to pay when he came out of the closet in a small hick town like this..._

"Hi, my name's Max. I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?"

She nods and looks at me, smiling as her eyes make contact with mine. "Yeah, my name's Chloe. Pleasure to meet you."

_Those blue eyes, much deeper than the blue in her hair. I think I've died and she's just the angle who's going to let me know. Damn, she's smoking hot..._

"H-hi Chloe, the pleasure is all mine..." I feel myself begin to blush, making sure that I'm facing away from the other girls. "S-so, I've heard some interesting things about you."

Chloe raises an eyebrow and her lips turn up ever so slightly. "Oh? And what might you have heard about me, Max?" My heart starts thumping harder.

_Oh God, she actually called me Max without me having to correct her, and she's hot, and I sooo need to get to know this girl..._

I watch as she takes her sandwich, taking her final bite and swallowing it, flicking her tongue out and licking her lips, glancing over at me as she does so.

_CODE RED, CODE RED, CODE RED!!!_

I freeze in place for a moment, a lump in my throat and the entire world watching me like I'm a bug under a microscope. "Well Max? Are you just going to drool over me are did you hear something?"

I swallow and clear my throat. "How about we take a walk. It's something kinda... sensitive. But I think that you should know what people are saying about you, and I'm kind of curious about what the truth is."

She nods and smiles. "Okay, let me just turn in my tray and we can take a walk. I nod, getting up and walking behind her. I can hear her mumble to herself, just barely. "A woman of initiative, I like it...." I swallow and try to keep my mind on track, struggling to keep up my poker face.

_Oh please let her be gay, please let her be gay, she can't be straight, she just can't be, please let her be so so very gay..._

We begin walking down the hall, walking out the side door and making our way to the edge of the courtyard. "I hear your gay."

"Hmm?" I turn to Chloe and see that she has her hands in her pockets, a smirk on her face. "What was that Max?"

"I said, I hear that you are gay. Is that true?"

"Oh, goodness no! I'm straight as an arrow! I swear on my mothers grave!" I nod slowly and feel my heart begin to crush in on itself.

_Damn it...I was hoping so badly..._

She holds her arms out and smiles. "Thank you for letting me know. I hope I cleared up the confusion." I nod and hug her feeling her hot breath on my ear. She whispers barely loud enough for me to hear. "Your friends followed us. But it would seem that we're both in the closet." I feel my heart skip a beat and then thud wildly against my chest.

_Holy shit, she really is gay...and she's in the closet, just like me._

"Gotta cut this short to keep from being suspicious. Tell them what I said loudly and I'll be in the parking lot this afternoon if you wanna go somewhere and talk for real. See you around, beautiful..." She pulls back and puts on a happy face, her smile not reaching her eyes. "I'll see you around Maxine!" She waves and walks away, going back towards the school.

_Okay, poker face!_

I shrug and turn around, walking back towards where I came from. I see Marcy and Sharen looking at me curiously, suspicion in their eyes. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"We came to make sure it didn't try to do something Maxine, you should be happy that we care about you so much. Now what did you learn?"

_Fuck you, Marcy._

"Well, I learned that she's straight." Marcy immediately relaxes and smiles.

"Are you sure about that?" I look at Sharen and see that she is still very suspicious. "Why was she talking to the fag if she isn't...one of them."

"She didn't know, I warned her though. She said she'll be careful."

"Is that what you two were whispering about when she hugged you?"

"Yeah. I brought her away from the others so that, if she was one of them, she might fall for confessing. But, she told me that she was straight as an arrow." As the words come out of my mouth, I feel dirty. I feel like I'm throwing Chloe under the bus somehow.

"Well, that's all a relief. Now, let's get back before class starts. You just _have_ to get a good seat in the back. You might even get to see Robby Henderson's handsome feature from up close today!"

_Oh boy, how fun..._

We walk inside and I find a seat in the back of the classroom. "Aren't you sitting with us, Maxine?"

"No, I'm going to sit back here. I still have work to do for Johnson's class and I don't want to get caught not paying attention by sitting in the front of the room." I pull out my physics book and take out my assignment, already finished, and pretend to work.

"Fine, suit yourself Caulfield." Sharen and Marcy sit right behind where their crushes sit everyday, making me feel a little sick inside.

_I know I should be happy that they have people they want to be with, but I just can't stand knowing that those biggots have someone that obviously crushes on them back when I'm just sitting back here, pretending to work so I can have some peace and quiet from the homophobia-_

"Is this seat taken?" I look up and see Chloe, standing next to me and pointing at the desk that is touching mine.

_OF all the pairs of desks in this classroom, the hot as hell punk girl had to walk up to mine..._

"No. No, go right ahead." I move a book I have sitting on her desk and drop it into my bag on the floor. "So, you have this class too?"

"Yeah, I would have taken the other English class, but they insisted that I should be in this one."

"I mean, getting into College English as a High School senior is great. You don't have to take it next year and you skip English 12"

"Yeah, but I'm just bored with English, I mean come on, I already speak the language."

I giggle and shake my head. "True, true." I look back at her and feel myself almost get sucked up into staring into her deep blue eyes. I blink a few times, looking back at my book and sighing quietly.

_Oh my goodness, this is going to be a long class..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I know who I'm rooting for (I'll give you a hint, it's Max and Chloe). I'm going to try and keep updates spaced out well and even, but if you've read my other stuff before you know how that can go.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	2. ...I thought I was alone in here, but I'm not...

I sigh as I look at the clock, tapping my foot and waiting for class to finish.

_After this class, I can ditch with Chloe and have that real talk she mentioned..._

I feel her leg rub against mine and I have to keep from making a noise in surprise. I feel her hand press a piece of paper into mine and I take it, quietly unrolling it and glancing down at it subtly.

 **You okay? You seem to be preoccupied with something...or someone.** **_-Chloe :)_**

I feel my heart racing as I look up at the teacher, seeing that he is looking at the board and talking to someone in the front of the class. I look at her and she raises her eyebrow slightly. I smirk and nod, looking back to the front just slow enough to see her lips turn upwards from the corner of my eye.

_Aha, I made her happy. That's a good start._

I can feel time move by even slower than it was before, my heart feeling like it might give out any second just from being near this girl. I take down a few notes that I missed and sigh, resting my head on the palm of my hand, starting off into space.

I feel her leg rub against mine and my breath catches in my throat. I tilt my head slightly and look at her out of the corner of my eye. I can see that she is staring straight ahead at the board, with the slightest of smirks on her lips. I let out a breath through my nose, rubbing my leg against hers slowly. I close my eyes and after a moment I feel her leg move way. A moment later, her knee hits my thigh and I open my eyes, looking up. I see that my teacher is staring at me and I feel myself begin to blush. "Sorry."

He sighs and shakes his head. "It's fine Maxine. Just, try and stay awake, okay? I know my class is boring but you have to pretend it isn't" He smiles for a second and then turns back to the board, making a some more notes.

_Oof. I guess I need to get more sleep..._

I take a deep breath, looking over at the clock. I reach over and start putting my things away just as the bell rings. The other students get up from heir seats and the sound of scooting chairs fills the room. "Remember kids, that essay is due in a few days. Don't let things pile up, now."

As I stand up, I look over at Chloe. "So, do you need any help getting to your next class?"

"Why yes, I do. Could you help me find Physics with Mister Johnson." She throws her backpack over her shoulder and starts walking towards the door, me following close behind.

"Sure thing. That's actually my next class too." I move so that I'm ahead of her, stopping at my locker and putting away a few of my text books.

"Sweet. Nice to know that I have a friend who can help me out with things." I can feel my heart beat a little harder.

_Friend. I'm her friend. Yayy!_

I take a deep breath, turning around and closing my locker behind me. "Come on, the classroom is this way." I begin moving down he halls and looking for the door to Physics. "Luckily there are only a few other people in physics, so the teacher has plenty of time to help you if you need it." I turn and walk through the open door. I find my seat about halfway back in the room, sitting down. Chloe sits next to me and I feel my cheeks warming up.

_Another class sitting next to a hot, closeted lesbian. I'm going to have a heart attack at this rate._

I take out my book, pulling out the assignment and putting on the finishing touches.

_At least it's just us, Justin, Trevor, and Dana. Kinda funny that we're all in the same class..._

Justin walks into the room with Trevor, Dana close behind. Dana closes the door behind her and I chuckle. Watching them approach and sit near us. Justin and Trevor sit down infront of us and Dana sits on my side opposite Chloe. She leans in and gives me a hug. "Maxie! How are you doing?"

I hug her back and chuckle nervously. "Nothing much, I'm just showing Chloe here around. She has English with me and we all have this class together."

"Nice." Dana looks around me and holds her hand out. "I'm Dana." Chloe looks at her through narrowed eyes, finally shaking her hand. Dana looks at me and raises an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side. "Did I miss something?"

I clear my throat and look at Chloe. "This is Dana, my friend." I lower my voice and feel myself getting flushed. "Just friend."

Chloe nods slowly, looking infront of us. I look and see Trevor and Justin sharing a kiss, holding each other's hands under the table.

"Max." I turn back to Dana and nod. "Why weren't you at _the meeting_ this week?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. Marcy decided to drop in unannounced and I knew that she was following me when I ran out the door, so I didn't want to bring her there by accident."

_That would have been an absolute disaster..._

"Yeah, I get it. Is Chloe...yanno?" I look between the two of them, noticing that Chloe is paying attention to us while she flips around in her notebook.

"She's cool." Chloe slowly sides over her notebook, her pen laying on top of it.

**_What are you guys talking about? - C_ **

I sigh and pick up her pen, uncapping it and writing down my response.

**_We have a small meeting of the closeted LGBT people. Her, Trevor, and I all go to a hidden location and talk about things. It's like the breakfast club for the gays. - M_ **

I slide it back and she takes it. After a moment, she laughs and I find something new to love about her.

_That laugh sounds like it's coming from an angel..._

_**Is everyone in this room a closet gay? - C** _

_**Almost. Dana is a closet Bisexual and Justin is the only person who is out to the community. He catches hell from everyone but us. - M** _

_**Damn, that sucks. I'm gonna burn this paper by the way. Gotta keep it outta enemy hands yanno? - C** _

I laugh and nod, smiling at her.

_**You should come sometime. I won't out you to them, but if you feel okay with other closeted people knowing, then we should all get together for the next meeting - M** _

When I pass it back, Chloe stares at it for a moment, her skin turning a little whiter than it was before.

_**I'll...think about it. - C** _

When I pass it back, she rips out the paper and crumples it up, putting it into the front pocket of her backpack.

Suddenly, the door starts to open. Trevor's hand flies back into his own lap and he pretends to be absorbed in his text book. I look down at my own book as I hear Mister Johnson enter the room. "Sorry class, I had to deal with a student down at the principles office." He walks up to the board and pulls out the attendance sheet. "I assume all of you, excluding _someone_ , have noticed that we have a new female student." As he talks we look up, seeing him glaring at Justin. I can see Trevor's hands bunch up into fists in his lap.

_I know man, I wanna punch that asshat myself..._

I glance over at Chloe and notice that her jaw is clenched and she looks like she is trying to not say something to our teacher.

_Yeah, you would basically be outting yourself if you tried to say something about his treatment of LGBT people. Best to not say too much..._

"Now Chloe, I understand that you come from a larger school."

"Yes, over in California." She answers politely enough, but I can tell that the chipper tone and faux happiness is total BS.

"Interesting. Well, I am glad to let you know that with some exceptions," there is another glare thrown at Justin. "...we don't have almost any...delinquents in this area."

Chloe gives a forced smile and fake laugh. "Well good. You know those delinquents, worthless human beings, that's what they are." I can feel the air get a little tense before Mister Johnson nods and sits at his desk.

"You know, that's a pretty strange hair hair color for such a reasonable young woman. Why is it that you have blue hair?"

"Well, Blue has always been my favorite color. I guess it just kinda happened." She smiles for a second before she closes her mouth. As she leans back and crosses her arms, I can hear her teeth grinding together.

Mister Johnson just stares at her for a moment, finally shrugging and shaking his head as he looks down at his desk. "Alright students, turn to page 394."

_Pretty ironic that most of the LGBT people around are in the classroom with the most homophobic teacher. Good thing the principle at least keeps him on a short leash when it comes to how he treats the openly gay guy..._

\----------------------------------------

As the bell rings, I slowly pack my things and get up, walking to the door. As Chloe follows, I turn around and find myself looking into her eyes.

_Oh shit, look away, Look AWAY!_

I blink and turn away, walking to the side of the hallway more. "So, what class do you have next? I got study hall."

"Band." She gives me a shrug and a sad smile.

"Ahh, Well, I can show you to the band room and then I'll head off." I begin walking towards the band room and she follows me. When we get to the band room, I hold my arm out and she nods.

"Thanks for the guiding, Maxine. I'll see you around, right?"

"Yeah, see you around." I smile at her and begin walking down the hallway. "Oh, hi Marcy! Hi Sharen!"

"Hey Max, what are you doing down here?" Sharen looks at me suspiciously and I just shrug.

"Chloe has Physics with me and I was showing her where the band room is."

"Oh, okay. Well, just remember that tonight is girls night. We'll be going over to Marcy's for pizza and we're watching The Notebook."

"Sorry guys, I can't make it." I cringe and look away, knowing that this is going to be a pain in the ass to explain.

_I can't let them keep me from Chloe though, I have to make sure that I get time with her alone. I just feel like I need to be there with her..._

"What do you mean you can't come?! We've been doing this for years!"

"I know, but mom is making me come home and do chores. I also have to do some college stuff, you know how it is." I sigh and pretend to be sad to play up the acting.

"Yeah, I just wish it didn't have to be on movie night. Friday is always movie night..." Sharen sighs and begins walking to the band room. "Well, you better be there next week Maxine."

"Oh I will be, don't worry." I wave back at them and walk speed walk to my study hall.

\-------------------------------------

When I get to my study hall, I take a seat in the far back and let my thoughts wander. I take out a text book and put it infront of me, blindly staring at the page while my mind is far away. To be more exact, it's with Chloe.

_There's something about that girl, something that I don't know. It feels like there's something right infront of my face but I can't put my finger on it..._

I stare into my books, waiting for the bell to ring and this long school day to be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have almost a page of notes for this story and I have't even reached the fist point on the list. I have hella ideas for this Fic and I will be sure to keep it going.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	3. ...It's safe in here, but I hate it...

I tap my fingers on my desk, impatiently waiting for the bell. As the clock ticks by, second by second, I think about what I need to do.

_I gotta find something to do that would reasonably keep me after school. What could I do..._

I clear my throat and raise my hand. "Misses Albertson?"

She looks up from the papers on her desk. "Yes Maxine?"

"May I please use the bathroom?"

"Well, school is almost over. Are you sure you have to go right now?"

"Yes, I have to go pretty bad." I cross my legs and move back and fourth in my seat.

"Okay, you may go. You probably won't make it back before the bell though." She looks back down at her papers and sighs, writing something with her red pen.

"That's okay." I stand up and grab my backpack, walking to the door. "I'll just set my bag next to my locker." I hurry out the door before she can say anything else.

I shoulder my backpack, making my way to my locker. When I get there, I drop the bag and make my way off to the bathroom.

_I honestly do have to go, so two birds with one stone, I guess._

\------------------------------

As I finish my business in the bathroom and begin washing my hands, the bell rings. I take my time, making sure that my hands are well lathered with soap and that I wash every little nook and cranny with my hand. When I'm done, I wipe my hands until every inch is nice and dry.

_Done. That should have bought me enough time._

I push the door open with my foot and walk back down the hall, retrieving my bag and speed walking to the side door. When I reach it, I push it open, walking around to the front. As I peak my head around the corner, I can see that the buses are gone and only a few vehicles remain. All of them belong to the staff except for one. There is an old pickup truck that is in really good condition parked near the side of the building. Leaning against it is Chloe, a soda bottle in one hand, the other in her pocket. I start walking towards her, looking her over from top to bottom. I see the various patches on her jeans that are worn and I see the little splashes of color from her band shirt. As I get closer, she looks up at me and smiles, her deep blue eyes sucking me in. I let myself stares as I stop about 5 feet away.

_Oh god, what am I getting into? I barely know this girl and I'm getting in a truck with her to go god knows where and do god knows what..._

"Hey Max..." Hey voice is low and slightly rough, making my heart thump and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

_Fuck it, I'll go where ever she wants to..._

"H-hey Chloe..." I walk closer, smiling nervously. "Nice ride."

"Why thank you. I fixed it up myself."

"Really? Wow, that's nice. It's always good to be handy with things."

"Thank you. And yes, it is." Chloe steps aside and walks around the truck, opening the driver's side door. "Get in."

"O-okay." I open the door and get into the cab, closing the door behind me and buckling up. Chloe buckles up as well and turns the key, starting to drive down the road. We ride in silence for a few minutes, nothing but us and the road. It feels calming, watching the trees move past us, nothing needing to be said. After a couple miles, she pulls over and parks in a rest area. I look at her and see that her face is more serious than before. I can see something in her eyes, teasing my curiosity.

"I know you're gay Max."

"W-what?" I feel my cheeks begin to get warmer, my eyes widening. "I don't know what you're talking about!" I turn away and close my eyes tight, trying to will her to not notice that she's dead right.

"Max, I know you're gay. You like women. It's okay, I do too."

My breath quickens and I nod. "I know, but I'm just scared that you know I'm gay so easily!" I try to take deep breaths to calm down.

After a moment, I hear a clicking sound and the squeaking of the leather of the bench seat. Her arms, being slow and gentle, wrap around my waist. She squeezes me and holds on, her chin resting on my shoulders. I start breathing quicker, warm air leaving her lips and caressing my skin. "Max, do you have a girlfriend?" I shake my head slowly, placing my hand over her arm. "I didn't think so. You were eyeing me up quite a bit." She sighs, goosebumps forming all along my arms.

"I-I know that I shouldn't have, b-but..." My voice catches in my throat.

"But what Max?" Chloe squeezes me again. "It's only me, Max. I'm not going to hurt you..."

_I wouldn't really care if you did. Just knowing you did something to me..._

I clear my throat and sigh, opening my eyes. I can see her our reflections in the glass of the window. I notice that she is looking at me in the eye through the reflection. "I think you're beautiful..."

"Why thank you." She smiles at me, making my heart flutter and my anxiety lessen. "Be that as it may, you have to try and control yourself. If you keep looking at me like you're starving to death and I'm a meatloaf, you'll have the whole school knowing that you're in the closet." She pulls back and I turn around, looking down. She reaches down and gently holds my chin, raising it up so that we are looking eye to eye. "Max." She pauses biting her lip. "I think you're beautiful too."

"T-thank you..." I gulp, my gaze moving down to her lips. "That means a lot coming from you."

"I bet." She chuckles and I look back up at her eyes, feeling some tension in the air. "You know Max, I really want to kiss you right now."

"Well that's two of us that want to kiss the other..." I reach up, putting my hands on her collar bone.

Chloe smiles, placing her hands over mine. "In all due time Max, in all due time. First, I want you to come home with me. I want to get close to you and I want us to know a lot about each other before we do anything." She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "I don't want to be a fling Max. I want to be someone that matters..."

I nod, resting my forehead against hers. "I feel the same..." I squeeze her shoulder, making her chuckle.

"Look at you, being a good friend already." She smiles, hugging me tight and then moving back to her seat. "Come on, we don't want to be late to dinner. My mom is the _best_ cook." She buckles up and I nod, looking at her as she starts to drive again.

"Chloe...do you really want to be my friend?"

"Yeah, of course."

"But, why?" I shrug, resting my elbow on the door and my head against my hand. "I'm never the person that people want to be friends with."

"Because you're nice." She glances over at me for a short moment, looking back at the road and taking a turn. "I was a new person in school and you came up to me and introduced yourself. Maybe you had some alterior motives, but still, you were under the impression that I could very well be gay and you still came over." She smiles wider, sighing quietly. "It made my day really."

"My friends were trying to size you up and I wanted to get away from their bullshit for a little while. Besides, if you weren't gay I didn't want my friends going over there and making asses of themselves and if you were gay, which you actually are, I didn't want them to find out before you knew how much people hate the gays out here. I had personal reasons of wanting to see if there was really an amazingly beautiful gay girl in school, but I wasn't just thinking of myself..."

"Well I'm grateful for your consideration. Besides, you also let me sit next to you and you helped me around school. You even introduced me to others like us." Chloe turns into a driveway and stops the truck, turning off the engine and turning towards me. "No matter what you may think of me, you interest me. I don't know what it is, but I just want to know more about you." She smiles and I smile back, holding out my fist. Chloe bumps it with her own and unbuckles. "Come on, I want you to meet my folks."

"Oooh, taking me to meet the parents. Aren't you going a little fast Miss...uhmm.....Chloe..?"

"You don't know my last name, do you?" She chuckles and shakes her head. "Price, Chloe Price."

"I can see some puns being made already."

"Dude, I hella love puns!" She gets out of the truck and I follow close behind her as we approach the door. "See, these are important friendship details that have to be addressed." She opens the door and walks inside. "Make sure to leave your shoes on the mat." I close the door behind me as I enter, kicking my shoes off on a shoe mat. I look around and see pictures on the wall. There is a middle aged woman with blonde hair and an apron, a middle aged man smiling up at her from a diner table. There are various different trophies for academics and I can see some pictures of a younger girl with blonde hair.

"You used to be blonde?" I follow Chloe as she begins walking into the next room. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm naturally a strawberry blonde." She walks around a couch, smiling at someone who must be there. "Mom, Dad, I brought a friend home."

"Oh really now?" A man and woman sit up, looking like the people in the pictures on the walls.

"Yep, I actually made two friends, but the other one was off with his boyfriend so he couldn't make it over." Chloe shrugs and I look at her for a moment.

_Is that why we're alone? Because Justin and Trevor were busy...?_

The older woman sighs, shaking her head. "It's only your first day at a new school and you're already dragging women home. What are we ever going to do with you?"

Chloe sighs and looks down at the floor. "You can't say those kinds of things here mom, it's not safe to be gay here."

"Well it is in this house, young lady. And I would appreciate it if you didn't bring over people who feel that way."

"I know, I know." Chloe looks over at me for a moment and motions for me to move closer. "Mom, this is Max. Max, these are my parents." I see her mother and father, sitting on the couch and leaning against each other, smiles on their faces.

"Nice to meet you Max." Chloe's mom holds out her hand and smiles. I shake it and nod back.

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am." As it comes out of my mouth, I see her smirk and raise an eyebrow.

"Ma'am? Please, that makes me sound like an old hag. Call me Joyce."

"Okay Joyce." I hold out my hand to Chloe's father and he narrows his eyes at me, rubbing his chin.

"William, come on now. Don't yank her chain, she's new to us." Joyce shakes her head and whacks her husband on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay." He laughs and smiles, shaking my hand. "William, nice to meet you Max."

"Nice to meet you too." I smile, stepping back a little and looking at them, seeing how they are so close so casually.

_I can't wait to find the person that I can just lay around and be happy with..._

"So, now that introductions are out of the way, how about some of the fun stuff." Chloe walks over and pokes me in the shoulder. I turn towards her and raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to say something. "Well, I was thinking that we could go up to my room. There are lots of posters and things to talk about."

"Sure, as long as I'm not imposing on anything." I rub my elbow, looking around nervously.

"Max, please, any friend of Chloe that isn't breaking the law is welcome in this house." William smiles and sighs. "Too bad there aren't many of those."

"Ouch, I might need some aloe for that burn, dad."

"You know it!" William gets up, walking into the kitchen. "You two go have fun while your mother and I cook up some grub."

"Sure thing, pops. See you in a little bit." Chloe walks back to the front door, taking the stairs up. "And before you say it, I know, I won't get her pregnant."

"Hey, you have to admit that it's fun to see people's confusion at that." Chloe shrugs and William sighs. "Fine, just go have fun.

\--------------------------------

Chloe's room is really something else. All over the walls are posters of punk bands with ticket stubs hanging from the thumb tacks holding them up. There are also some things written on the walls in sharpie like "Hole to Another Universe" and "I Can't Sleep". I feel like I'm seeing a whole new side to her.

"So, what do you think Max?" I look over at her, sitting on the side of her bed with box of gum in her hands. "Want a piece?" Chloe holds out the box for me.

"Sure." I nod and take a stick, unwrapping it and starting to chew on it. A sweet mint flavor floods my mouth and I smile at it. "Thank you. And I like this. It's nice." I walk over to a poster and look at some of the ticket stubs closer. "Did you actually go to these concerts?"

"Hell yeah!" I hear her get up and walk across the room, standing next to me. "Most of them are just from local bands or from me sneaking into the club on the outside of the old town I used to live in." She chuckles and pokes on of the stubs. "I remember the night I went to this one. I went to the place, right? Well what I didn't know is that all of the people that were in the band were also voodoo priests."

"Really? Like, black magic kinda voodoo?"

"Yeah, it was some creepy stuff. But anyways, I'm going up to this guy to see if I can have some kind of refreshment, cause it's getting kinda late into the night and I wanted something to drink. So, the guy says 'why yes, I have many things which you can consume. Just tell me your deepest desire'. It was evil-mastermind-petting-their-cat levels of creep. So, I look at the guy and decide that I should leave." I look at Chloe and she has a smile on her face, looking at the wall but not seeing it. "But, when I walk away, he starts walking after me super slow and says 'you cannot escape me, Chloe Price'. And I look at him and, I'm starting to freak out here, I say 'how do you know my name?!' and the guy looks at me and suddenly breaks out into a smile. 'Cause It's your friends dumbass!' and who would have guessed, but it was my old friend Frank dressed up as a witch doctor." She starts laughing and I shake my head.

"I would have been freaking out so much more than you."

"Oh believe me, I was _freaking_ out. I saw a guy that looked like he _might_ have something to do with voodoo and I started screaming at him." She looks at the window and sighs. "Turns out it was the police chief's son-in-law."

"Dang, what happened?"

"Nothing much, I just got a lecture from the Chief that I shouldn't be screaming at cops."

"Well, that's nice to just let you off with a lecture."

"Oh please, he was a family friend who always ended up giving me a lecture on something. He even gave me a lecture about J-walking when I crossed the street to get the mail once." We both giggle a little, shaking out heads. "I think he was just mad that all he got were bills."

"Chloe! Max! Dinner!" I hear Joyce call from downstairs.

"Well, I guess it's chow time. I hope you brought your appetite. Mom makes the best food."

"We'll just have to see about that." I smirk at her as we go to her bedroom door, making our way downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	4. ...But I can't leave here right now...

I swallow my food, looking up from my plate and over at Joyce. "It's really delicious. Thank you again for feeding me."

"Ahh, it's nothing. It just wouldn't be right to eat without offering you something." She smiles at me, taking a bite of her own food.

"Well, I guess I made the right friend." I look over at Chloe and she rolls her eyes, poking some meat with her fork.

"Oh, I see how it is. You're being nice to me for the food. I should have known." She sighs and looks down at her plate. Her face drops and I feel my heart twinge.

"Chloe, you know that's not true, right...?" I mentally slap myself at how sad I just sounded infront of her parents.

She looks up, a smile on her face. "Lighten up Maximus, I was only joking."

I feel myself blush a little, shaking my head. "Maximus?"

"Yeah, Chloe is the king of giving people nicknames." William speaks up, chuckling. "I wonder where she could have gotten that from." He smiles and stands up, his chair scraping against the floor as he does so, and takes his plate to the sink. "I'm going to go putter around in the garage, come get me if you need anything."

"Okay, Will." Joyce blows him a kiss and then finishes up her last few bites of food. "I have some dishes to do." She gets up and take her dishes, walking over to the sink. Chloe and I both clean our plates of food soon after, taking out dishes over to Joyce and then going back upstairs. As we reach the top of the stairs and turn into her room, Chloe turns to me and smiles, her eyes shining in the dimming light of the evening.

_I don't know why, but I have fallen for this girl so hard. It's so soon after we've met but ever since I saw her, I realized that I wanted to be around her..._

I close the door behind us and I reach out, grabbing onto Chloe's wrist. "Chloe..." My voice comes out strangled and desperate, a somber tone to it.

She turns around and takes my hand in hers. "What's wrong Max?"

I clear my throat, looking into her eyes. "What are we, Chloe?" I tilt my head to the side a little, shrugging my shoulders. "What is...this?"

Silence follows as she continues holding my hand. She looks back at me, maintaining eye contact as we stand there. "Max..."

"I'm not trying to be pushy and I promise that I won't get upset with you, no matter what you say. I just... I need to know where we stand so we can proceed accordingly."

Chloe sighs, squeezing my hand and nodding. "You have a point." She pulls me over to her bed, sitting down and facing me. I sit like her and look at her. She moves so that one leg is hanging off of the bed and the other is crossed under her. "Max, do you..." She takes a deep breath, looking down for a moment, before making eye contact again. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

I nod slowly, keeping my eyes locked with hers. "Yeah, I do." I take a deep breath, thinking about how to say what I feel. "I think that, when you find someone who is going to be a meaningful part of your life, you just kinda, know it sometimes." I wraps my arms around myself, holding onto my shoulders. "I feel that way about you Chloe." I squeeze my eyes shut, my head moving down till my chin is on my chest. I feel tears pricking at the back of my eyes, my body beginning to shake. "I'm sorry that I've fallen for you, but I can't help it... I can't stop thinking about you, Chloe..." I feel the hot tears dripping down my cheek, leaving a cool trail after them.

After a few moments, a hand wipes at my cheek, holding my chin and tilting it upwards and to the side. "Max..." Her voice is so soft and gentle, putting me instantly at ease. My eyes open slowly and I can see Chloe's face, stained with tears of her own. "Don't. Never apologize for what you feel." She takes a deep breath, blinking hard a few times. "I fell for you the moment you sat down beside me at lunch today." I feel a cold chill run down my spine, making me gasp quietly.

"Y-you mean you...feel the same?" I feel myself get hopeful, my heart beating faster and my stomach being less knotted up.

"What do you feel Max. Tell me, what do you feel when you look at me?" She takes one of my hands, holding it close to her.

"Honestly? Love..." I see the look of disappointment in her eyes and I can feel myself starting to shut down. My heart slows down and I start to feel sick.

"Are you sure? I'm not that good of a catch, Max. I'm someone who doesn't make a lot of friends and I don't really deal well with the homophobic people like you can." She presses my hand to her chest. I can feel that her heart is beating, hard and fast. "I'm a person who gets pissed off pretty easily and I've been known to do some rash things in the moment..." I can see a few tears flowing down her cheek, so I reach over and wipe them away.

"Okay." I take her hand and press it to my chest, my heart beating hard and fast like hers. "I'm okay with that Chloe, I'm not perfect either, no one is. So far everything you've shown me about yourself is something that I like." I smile, leaning closer to her and resting my forehead against hers. "you haven't shown me a reason to push you away..."

"I don't want to hurt you, Max." She reaches over to push me away, but I grab her wrists, looking her in the eye.

"Chloe Price, I want to be with you. If you don't want to, then fine, you don't have to be, but I am not letting you make decisions over what is best for me. I am my own damn person and I am capable of making my own decisions. I'm willing to be with you if you'll have me, but I will not have you deciding what is best for me. That is my choice and mine alone..." I sniffle, blinking a few tears out of my eyes. "So, what is it going to be Chloe? Will you be my girlfriend, or do you just want to be friends right now?"

She looks at me for a long time, my heart still beating hard and fast, her hands still on my chest. She looks into my eyes, thinking something over in her head. I can hear a clock ticking in the background, every passing second filling me with fear of her answer.

_This is scaring me, but I need to know. We have to figure out where we are if we want any kind of relationship, romantic or otherwise. I just hope that spilling my guts so soon didn't ruin what we have between us..._

"Yes." Chloe swallows, beginning to shake.

"W-what?" I feel light headed, unsure of what I just heard.

"I said, yes. Max, I want to be with you, just like you want to be with me." She takes a deep breath, moving her hands away from my chest and down to my waist. "It's not my place to tell you what's good for you and what isn't. That's where you have to make your choices. If you feel like I'm worth your time, I'll be your girlfriend in a heartbeat."

"I guess it's settled then." I smile, leaning forward and putting my hands on her collar bone. "What do you feel like doing...girlfriend?"

Chloe chuckles and lays down, pulling my along with her. We end up on our sides, facing each other. "How about I kiss the beautiful woman that I've been thinking about all day?"

I feel my heart skip a beat, nodding happily. One of my hands goes to the back of her head, tangling itself in her hair and pulling her closer. Her lips touch mine, her tongue pressing against my bottom lip. I kiss her with all the passion I can and she does the same. I can feel her hands roaming around my torso, caressing my bare skin under my shirt. I let my desire take over as my mind slows and finally stops working, only processing the feeling of her body against mine, her lips against mine, and her hands on my skin.

\------------------------

I sigh, my forehead pressed against Chloe's and our legs wrapped together. "Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah Max?" I feel her drawing pattern on the skin over my shoulder blade, making me shiver.

"As much as I love being like this, we do have homework to do..." I pull back and look at her and pouting. "I think we'll have to put the cuddling on hold for a little while."

"Awee, okay." We slowly untangle our legs and gets up, walking to the door. "I'll grab our bags from the truck and then we'll do our work on the bed." She winks at me as she walks out the door and I giggle. As she walks downstairs, I sigh happily, looking around the room.

_I am so lucky. I'm excited beyond words that I have a girlfriend, let alone someone as interesting and cool as her!_

I press my hands over my heart, feeling the rhythm of the beat. After a few moments, I hear footsteps coming up the stairs and Chloe re-enters the room, putting the backpacks down at the foot of the bed. "Alright cutie, here's the plan. I'm going to be doing my work, and you'll be doing your work. We'll be right next to each other so we can ask for help if we need it. Also, I think that we should do the fastest things first so that we can get a lot done in a short period of time."

"Well, someone likes efficiency." I smile, laying on my stomach and moving my legs up in the air. I pull my bag down and pull out my book, flipping to the page that I have dogeared for the assignment.

"No, I just want an excuse to get back to holding you. And, what better excuse than 'most of my work is already done'?" She lays next to me and moves her bag to the floor, reaching in and taking a book out, dropping it infront of her. "Besides, if you take longer I can just lay here and spoon you. So I do have some reason to get done quickly."

"Gay affection, the leading cause of honor students." Chloe starts laughing and I smile, taking out a notebook to do my work.

\--------------------------

I look up from my textbook and sigh. "Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah Max?" She looks over at me in the middle of putting her final assignment into her backpack.

"Do you have the answer to the last question?" I sigh, putting my pencil down for a moment. "I suck at science."

"Yeah, it's 374."

"Okay." I write the number down and put my things away, pushing my bag to the floor and flopping down onto the bed. I sigh into the sheets, feeling her hands on my shoulders.

I feel her lean in, her warm breath on the back of my neck. "lay on your side, love." I nod, rolling onto my side away from her. She wraps her arms around my waist and I put my arms over hers, closing my eyes as my body relaxes into hers. I can feel the rise and fall of her chest, warm breath covering my neck at every exhale. After a little while, I open my eyes, slowly sitting up. Chloe grumbles and follows me, her head resting on my shoulder as I sit up. "Maxie, what's wrong?"

I blush at the name, pulling out my phone. "Chloe, it's 9pm. I stayed so late. If I go home now, my parents will grill me over what I've been doing."

"Well, there's an easy solution to this."

"And that is?" I put my phone away, closing my eyes and waiting.

She leans in, her lips almost touching my ear. "Don't leave. Stay for the night and ride in with me tomorrow. If your mom asks and you really feel like you have to give her an answer, just say you stayed at someone's house for the night. You're 18 Max, as an adult you really don't owe any explanations."

"You know, your right." I smile, standing up and looking back at her. "I'll do that. But, uhh... where will I sleep?" I look around, seeing if there is anything soft on the floor that I can sleep on.

Chloe lays down and pats the space next to her. "In my arms, of course."

"Chloe, you can't be serious..."

"Max, you don't have to if you're not comfortable with it, but I do have something to say about it. First of all, you're a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions, and second of all, it's not like we're going to be having sex or even be naked. If you don't wanna be in your underwear I have some sweatpants that you could borrow. Even some PJ's from when I was younger."

I think for a moment, weighing my options. "I'll take the sweatpants, please."

"Sure thing." Chloe gets up and walks over to the closet, taking out a pair of sweatpants that look like they might be a little short for her. She hands them to me and nods, walking over to the door. "I can wait in the hall if you want."

"Nahh, just... look at the door I guess?"

"Sure." She turns and looks at the door, waving at it. "Hi door, it's me, Chloe. Nice to meet you." I roll my eyes and get changed, tossing my backpack and pants over to the corner of the room. I slowly walk up behind Chloe, wrapping my arms around her waist and laying my head against her back. "Well hello to you too, Max."

I chuckle and sigh happily. "Hi." I pull back a little and Chloe turns around, looking me over. "Let's lay down." She nods and I go over to the bed, getting under the covers. Chloe shamelessly strips off her pants and grabs a pair of shorts on her desk chair, slipping them on and getting in next to me. "Well, someone's fearless."

"No, you just make me confident." She kisses my cheek and we wrap our legs together again, our foreheads resting against each other. "Let's get some sleep, Maxie. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because tomorrow is Saturday."

I open my eyes, pulling back a little. "Really? You're kidding, right?"

"No. Remember, you skipped out on movie night to come hang out with me." She smiles and I nod.

After a moment, I narrow my eyes at her. "How did you know that I skipped out on movie night."

"Because I was pretty close by and I heard your entire conversation."

"You were spying on me."

"No I was not! I was just, listening to my surroundings, next to the door, for a few minutes..." She sighs and shakes her head. "Okay, maybe a little. But only after I heard you guys start talking."

"Suuure." I rest my forehead against hers again, closing my eyes and smiling. "I'm glad that I did skip out on that though. It was more than worth it."

"Why thank you." I feel Chloe's arm lazily draped over my torso, hugging me closer. "I'll be for you if you need me in the night."

"Thank you. Same goes for you. Good night, Chloe."

"Good night, Maxie." With that, a calm silence falls upon us. I can hear her breathing and feel the light gusts of warm air on my skin. After a few minutes, her breathing evens out and I can feel myself being pulled down towards sleep.

_This has to be the best day of my life, and I hope that things stay this way. I'm really getting used to being around Chloe..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm playing the long game here. There are some things that I want to be set up to happen and there are somethings that I want to leave open and come back to them in chapters to come. I appreciate it when you point out things to me and I use that to help me write, but rest assured that I am really trying to make this story make sense.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	5. ...I really appreciate her company...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short update because the next one will be a bit longer.

I feel something on my waist, holding me to the bed. I can feel warm breath against my skin and the warmth of someone beside me. I open my eyes slowly, seeing that I am in Chloe's bed, nuzzled up to her. Our legs are wrapped together and I can feel that one of my arms is numb from her laying on it all night, but I don't care. I pull back carefully, looking at Chloe. She is still sleeping, a look of happiness stuck on her face. I smile and kiss her forehead, making her whine in her sleep.

_Oh my goodness, so cute..._

I go to get up, and stretch, but as soon as I start moving away Chloe's arms pull my closer. She clings to me in her sleep and I can't help but find if endearing.

_Even when she's asleep she needs me... Well, it could be worse. At least I don't have to use the bathroom._

I settle back in, finding that I would rather be nuzzled up to her anyways.

_Besides, who knows when I'll be able to do this again._

I feel Chloe relax as I'm close to her again. I close my eyes and start thinking about the events of the last 24 hours.

_When I woke up yesterday, it was just a normal Friday. I wanted more sleep, but I got up and showered anyways. I packed my backpack and I went out the door to school. I would have never expected someone like Chloe to just walk into my life._

I hold onto her tighter, hearing her grunt in her sleep.

_It doesn't even feel real, It happened so fast. I don't know if that dooms this to fail, but I know that I am going to enjoy every moment of this that I can._

My phone buzzes and I sigh, ignoring it. It buzzes a few more times and I sigh, pulling away from Chloe. She clings to me again and I chuckle.

_I should get my phone, but I think I'll wake her up first..._

I lean in kissing her neck. She makes a garbled noise and I bite her gently, sucking on her skin. She gasps and I feel her hands fingers moving along my body. "Max..." She groans as I bite a little harder, placing my hand on her chest."

I move back, holding my hand over her heart. "Good Morning, beautiful."

Chloe smirks, looking me over. "Thanks for the wake up call."

"Yeah. Someone keeps messaging me and I need to get up to grab my phone. But, someone kept holding me close in their sleep." I give her a quick peck on the lips, getting up and going over to my pants. I pull out my phone and walk over, laying down on my side, my back to Chloe.

"What, my bed head not good enough for you?"

"No, I'm just a little spoon." I smirk and wait.

"I see." Chloe wraps her arms around me and I sigh happily. "Better?"

"Much better." I place one hand over hers, using the other to open my phone.

**Justin: Hey Maxireno, You think you could spare some time to come and skateboard?**

**Justin: Chloe will be there ;)**

I giggle and show it to Chloe. She smiles and kisses my shoulder. "Lemme see your phone." I immediately hand it to her and she smiles. "Well, someone's a people please."

"Nope, you just bring out my obedience." I make sure that she can hear the eye roll in my voice.

She opens up the camera and points angles it at us. "Say Cheese"

"Cheese."

"Great, now pull up the blanket so I can't see down your shirt.

I blush and pull the blanket up to my neck. Chloe hides behind me some, just poking her head over my shoulder. She takes another picture. and I look at her from the corner of my eye. "Could you really see down my shirt?"

"No, but the look on your face was priceless." She cackles and I just shake my head, looking away. We go back to spooning and Chloe sighs, her warm breath covering my ears. "Hey, sorry bout that. Didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine, Chloe." I sigh and close my eyes, holding onto her hands tighter. "Why did you want to take pictures with my phone."

"Well, I wanted to have a picture of us together and I took one that was fine for just us to have and one that you could send to Justin if you're feeling like you wanna show me off." She squeezes me and nuzzles into my shoulder. "I took them on your phone so you could do as you choose. I no one else has a copy unless you give it to them yourself. Hell, if you don't feel comfortable with them you can just hit delete."

I blush and smile wide. "Let me turn around." Chloe moves back a little and I roll over, looking her in the eye and smiling wider. "Thank you, so much. That was such a simple thing but it means a lot to me..."

"No problem, beautiful." She smirks and nods towards my hand with the phone. "Do you have any idea what you're going to do?"

"Well, I'm going to save both pictures." I think for a moment and take a deep breath. "I uhh... I'm gonna send copies to you as long as you promise not to show anyone. And I mean anyone!"

Chloe nods and presses my free hand over her heart. "I won't show anyone the pictures Max. I promise."

"Okay, good. And...I wanna brag to Justin, but I think we should take one when we're dressed and outta bed. And I'll just show it to him in person. That way there's no misunderstanding."

"I get it."

**Me: I'll be there ;)**

**Justin: Great. I just hope Chloe remembers where the skate park is.**

**Me: Oh, I think she'll get there just fine.**

**Justin: Why do you say that?**

**Me: Oh, no reason. I just got a feeling. I'll explain later.**

**Justin: Okay. See you guys at noon.**

"Well, I guess we're going at noon."

"Okay. Well, that means we have like, three hours to fool around, eat, and have a genuine good time."

"Why can't we genuinely enjoy fooling around?" I put my phone to the side, leaning in and giving her a kiss.

"I like how you think Caulfield." She kisses me back and I smile into her kiss.

"You like how I kiss too." I wrap my arms around her neck and kiss her again.

"That I do. that I do..." Chloe rolls onto her back, moving me on top of her and pulling me down into a deep kiss.

_Well... even if it's fast, it's sure as hell fun..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	6. ...Like I always say, "The more, the Gay-er" (part 1)...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer one.

When we finally stop making out, we get up and dress in normal clothes. Chloe ends up cooking us breakfast and I find myself getting used to her house.

_You know, it would be kinda nice to spend a lot of time over here. Her parents are quite accepting and Chloe is obviously amazing. I should make a habit of visiting often..._

I look around the living room, looking at some of the pictures on the walls. I can see Chloe with her parents at different school and sporting events. One of the prominent pictures is one of Chloe when she was younger and with blonde hair, holding up a soccer trophy with some other girls a bit older than her, 16 or 17. I smile and hear a few creaks behind me, arms wrapping around my waist. "That when I was on the winning team of the regional soccer team. I was just a little freshman, but I outplayed some of the seniors on the other teams."

I place my hands over hers and I lean back into her slightly. "You look so happy."

"That's cause I was." She moves so that I can feel her breath against my ear, goosebumps spreading over my skin as I can feel that her lips are almost against my skin. "I fight for what I want."

I nod, slowly turning around in her arms, looking into her eyes. "Well, besides a trophy, what is it that you want these days?"

She presses her forehead against mine, making a few of the muscles in my face spasm as I feel can see the look in her eyes. It's a flame, a desperate want for something. "You..." Before I can even think, my hands are in her hair and hers are on my hips. Our lips meet and I can almost feel electricity in the air, reminding me of when we first kissed yesterday.

_Everything about Chloe is just so...intoxicating._

I pull back from the kiss, breathing heavily. "Chloe..."

"Yeah?" She slowly wraps her arms around my waist and holds onto me.

"Would you....am I..." I sigh and shake my head, closing my eyes as I take a few deep breaths. "Do you really want me?" I look into her eyes and find myself lost in the swirls of blue. "Am I someone that you want to keep around, or is this just a fling...?"

Chloe looks back at me, not answering for a moment. I can feel one of her hands moving up my back, sending chills through my body. I shiver, still looking into her eyes, as her hand reaches my shoulder. I feel one of her fingers tracing along my shoulder blade and up my neck, the palm of her hand coming to rest on the back of my head, our foreheads pressing together slowly.

"If this were a fling, We'd have done more inappropriate things and I wouldn't have cooked food for you." I feel her hand still on my hip move up, the palm of her hand cupping my cheek. "You are special Max. I know that this isn't something that we've been at for a long time, it's all happened quite fast actually, but It...it just-"

"Feels right..." I feel my heart beat faster and my breath quickens. "I know. I want this, us, to be a thing. I want it to last and I want to have a good time with you." I smile wide and chuckle to myself. "We've only be around each other less than 24 hours and I'm already feeling better than I have in years."

"You and I have that in common." She kisses my forehead, moving back from me. I reluctantly let her go and walk over to the dinning room table, seeing the food on the table. As we sit down, Chloe continues. "I've had different lovers and I've been happy before, but it's been a long long time since I've found someone who I feel so happy around so quickly. In all honesty, this is the fastest that I've been able to get this far with someone."

I smile again, picking up a piece of bacon. "I hope that I break more of your dating records than that.'

Chloe nods, but frowns a little, looking down at her eggs. "You know Max, just because it started quickly and we feel for each other, that doesn't mean we have to go fast. We can go at whatever pace we feel comfortable with and we can have a good time without doing things we might regret."

I nod, taking a few bites of food before I speak again. "Thank you, that means a lot to me. I'm not going to push you too much when it comes to the pace of our... relationship. I'm not someone who does that and I'm all for talking things out and having agreements and compromises."

"Good." Chloe takes a few gulps from her coffee mug and smiles, snagging the last piece of bacon from her now empty plate. "Well, why don't you finish up and I'll put the dishes in the sink." I take a few bites of my toast and pick up the last piece, pushing my plate towards her as I finish off my glass of milk. "You know, I never thought of you as a fast eater." Chloe takes our plates over to the sink and sets them in, coming back for the rest. "You seemed like someone who's just sit there and nibble."

"Yeah, most people do. I can nibble, but I was honestly hungry and we have places to be." I wipe my hands on the legs of my pants and stand up, taking the last plate over to Chloe. "Let's get in the truck and go over to my place. I'll grab my board and we can head over to the skate park."

\-----------------------------

Chloe looks around at the houses we pass as we drive down the road. When we reach the left turn just before the large pine tree with the tree house in it, I clear my throat and sigh. "Take this left turn." Chloe turns and we go into my driveway.

_Oh thank goodness, everyone's gone. They must be off doing stuff..._

As the engine turns off, I unbuckle my seat belt and look over to Chloe. "What's the deal maximo, and do you want me to come in or should I just hold down the fort out here?"

"Well, since no one is home I don't have to explain who you are and why you're dropping me off at home after I didn't come home last night, you can come in with me."

"Okay." Chloe nods slowly, getting unbuckled and jumping out. I get out of the truck too, walking up to the front door and taking out my keys, unlocking the door and going inside. I quickly wipe my feet off on the floor mat and begin walking upstairs. I hear the door shut behind me and foot steps follow. When I reach my door, I open it and walk inside, looking around. There are still clothes all over in the corner and my skateboard is propped up against my closet door. I walk further into the room, turning around to see Chloe slowly entering. I smile as I watch her looking around, taking in all the details here and there. The wall of photos arranged in a neat collage peaks her interest. She walks over to it slowly, her jaw hanging open. "Holy shit Max, did you take these?!"

I chuckle, walking over to the door and closing it. "Why yes I did. You got something to say about it?"

"Fuck yeah." Chloe turns to look at me, a wide and innocent smile on her face. "They're beautiful, like the person who created them..."

I feel my heart chest get the warm fuzzy feeling that she's beginning to bring out in me. "Why thank you..." I can feel that I'm blushing, but I just walk over to her, placing my hands on my hips. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?" Chloe tilts her head sideways, raising her eyebrow and giving me the cutest look I've ever seen.

"The wall is missing something." I reach over, taking my camera off of the foot of my bed. I place my hand on her hip and pull her closer, holding out the camera. "3, 2, 1"

The camera clicks and I hear the whirring as the film slides out. I take it, shaking it gently and looking at it. I can see that Chloe and I are both smiling, our faces practically glowing. "Max, you're really good at this photography thing."

"Relax Chloe, it's just a selfie. No need to get all excited over it."

"No, Max, not just the selfie." She points to the wall behind us and her smile widens. "You are great at this and you could be a photographer professionally! You'd be a damn good one."

I smile wider myself and shake my head. "Since when have you been an art critic?"

"I'm not, I'm just someone giving their loved one an opinion..." Her smile fades, her face taking on a more serious look. I can still see the happiness in her eyes, but it's more contained, more serious.

"I'm glad that you consider me a loved one." I lean in and give her a peck on the lips. "Hey, I have a quick question."

"Shoot."

"Could I throw a duffel bag of clothes in the truck and when we go back to your place I could store them in your closet for when I'm over?"

"Sure thing." Chloe smiles, sitting down on my bed. "Pack whatever you want to and you can keep it at my place."

"Okay." I go over to my closet, grabbing the skateboard and putting it on the foot of my bed next to the camera. "Just gimme a minute, okay?"

"No problem." I hear her sigh contently and I open my closet, digging out my duffel bag. I begin to pack some clothes in it, making sure to grab a spare deodorant and toothbrush.

"Alright Chlo, let's go Justin how to skate." I grab my helmet from my desk and grab the board, tucking it under my arm as I grab the duffel bag.

"hell yeah! That's what I like to hear." We walk out the door and down the stairs. I re-lock the front door on the way out and wait for Chloe to open the door. When she does, I get in and settle in, going over the directions to the skate park in my head.

_I never really thought that I would be skating with anyone besides Justin and Trevor. I'm glad though, I kinda wanna see what moves Chloe has._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a nice little mental health break, I'm back.  
> I'm going to settle into a more tame update schedule of one chapter a week (with the exception of a special occasion). That said, I hope you enjoyed THIS chapter and as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	7. I like it when I don't have to think...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay folks, this is gonna dip into a little bit of a darker place from time to time. This is one of those times. Be careful.

I sigh, looking at the window. I can see the dust floating through the air from the rays of light that shine through the tree tops. The world slowly moves out of focus again, more tears filling up my eyes. I blink them away as I feel my chest crushing in on itself.

_It's okay..._

I slowly push the blade along my skin so that is scrapes it like a razor, feeling my breath catch in my throat as I feel it.

_...This is the right thing to do..._

I slowly move the knife so that the tip of it is pressed to my wrist.

 _...The only right things I've ever done..._

I stifle a gasp as I feel the tip of the blade prick my skin. I feel my body begin to shake as my skin slowly turns cold.

 _...I can't do this._

I toss the knife to the corner of the room. I sob and let the tears flow, falling onto my side and curling up into a ball.

_Why can't I be normal? Why? Why do I have to be gay?!_

I sob louder, saying a silent prayer of thanks that I'm the only one home.

\------------------ 

"Max?" I blink a few times, looking over to Chloe. "Max, are you okay?" Her bright blue eyes shine in the sunlight. Her hair gently sways off to the side from the gentle breeze behind her.

"Y-yeah....yeah. I was just day dreaming, sorry..." I open my door and smirk, getting out of the truck.

_I'm just being a burden to her._

I grab my board and helmet, closing my door tight and walking around the front towards the skate park. The skate park was really a playground that was being turned into a building, but the company making it ran out of money not too long after making the foundation and some of the different concrete shapes, which were eventually scattered around. The skater guys came along a little while before I got my board and they turned it into their own little skate park.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and Chloe turns me to face her. "Max, are you sure you're okay?"

I feel my hands twitch slightly. Her eyes are boring right into my soul, looking for any signs of what's going on. "I'm fine Chloe." I shrug my arms like I don't really care. "Now would you stop worrying and come with me so we can skateboard?!" I shrug, hoping that I'm covering things up well

"Maybe when you stop lying to me..."

_Damn, she's good..._

I sigh, looking around and seeing that we're the only ones around this area. "I'm not ready to talk about it, okay?" I can see Chloe's spirits drop but she nods, looking at the ground. "I'll talk about it when I'm ready."

Chloe nods again, looking back at me, worry in her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't rush you. Just, remember I'm here for you, okay?"

"I will Chloe, I will." I lean in and kiss her cheek, watching her smirk briefly. "I love you."

"I love you too." She gives me a tight, quick hug and then starts pulling me closer to the skating area by my wrist.

"W-wait!" Chloe stops and looks back at me, raising an eyebrow. "Umm...you don't mind if I show you off, do you?"

She chuckles and shakes her head. "No Max, show me off all you want. I'm still in the closet, but if you trust these guys I do too." I nod and walk beside her. She lets go of my hand and we make our way into the area where people actually skateboard. "Besides, I've been thinking about that whole closet club." I see her glance over at me, a small smile crossing her lips for a moment before disappearing. "It might not be too bad, honestly."

_I just hope she doesn't spend the whole time shooting daggers at Dana._

"Hey!" I look over to see Trevor, sitting next against a wall while Justin does some tricks on his board nearby. "Max! Chloe! How's it hanging!"

"Not much going on." I sigh and put down my board, setting my helmet on it.

Justin skates over, stopping and getting off the board. He holds his hand out and helps Trevor to his feet. "So, Max, what's _really_ going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I cross my arms and he shakes his head, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Hey, just askin." He sighs and nods to Chloe. "I assume you two are getting along well?" I look over at Chloe and take a deep breath. I can see a bit of mischief growing in her grin, but I steel myself for what I'm about to do. I look around and see that no one else is there, making my heart race.

_Here goes nothing..._

I reach up and grab onto Chloe's face, pulling her down and kissing her with a passion that reminds me of yesterday. I can feel Chloe kissing me back, wrapping one of her arms around my waist and pulling me closer. The kiss feels like an eternity of bliss, but it really only lasts a few seconds.

I can hear them whistling and laughing. When I pull away, I smile and look over at them, breathing a little harder. "That give you an answer?"

Justin looks at his boyfriend and smirks. "Yes, but I think that Chloe would love some further explanation..."

"Hey, Max is hot. You can't blame me." I look over to Chloe as see that she's glowing with pride.

_Hmm, who's supposed to be showing off who again?_

"I do admit, if none of us were as gay as we are, I'd probably ask Max out." Trevor elbows Justin in the ribs, making Justin wince. "Ow. I was only talking hypothetically, sweetie. Chill."

Trevor glares at him for a moment and then rolls his eyes, kissing Justin on the cheek. "Don't you go straight on me, or I'll show you _chill_..." It's a threat said with a smile, but a threat all the same. Justin nods and pulls Trevor into a quick hug, walking back over to the edge of a concrete pillar that has been turned on it's side. "last one to grind it is a rotten egg!" He gets onto his skateboard and kicks his way down towards the other end, turning around when he gets there.

"Oh no you don't!" Trevor gets on his board and goes after him, leaving Chloe and I behind. We both get on our boards and start making our way over.

"You know, you should really let me win. It's what good girlfriends do."

"Chloe, the fact that you said that means you know I'll beat you." I slow down and turn around, standing next to Trevor and Justin as Chloe comes to a stop and turns around next to me.

"Oh you're on." She gets ready and takes a deep breath. "Go!"

\-------------------

I breath heavily, feeling the cool metal against the side of my neck. The birds chirp and I can hear the bubbling of the brook nearby, both sounds juxtaposed with the screaming and sobbing I can hear in my head. I can see the faces of my friends, walking away from me and holding their hand over their mouths like they might puke.

_"Get AWAY from us you sick bitch!"_

I feel my face begin to screw up as I see the faces of my mother and father, twisted with hatred and disgust.

_"GET OUT OF OUR HOME, YOU ABOMINATION!"_

They shout in unison and I can feel my world falling apart.

_It's gonna happen. They'll all find out someday and I'll have no other choice..._

I take a deep breath, feeling the blade begin to shake.

_I'm just making this choice while it's still of my own free will..._

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and moving the knife to the base of my throat, trying to steady myself.

_Just a few quick movements and it'll be over soon..._

"Max!" My eyes fly open and I drop the knife, turning around to see Dana standing a little ways away, her hand covering her mouth. "Max, what are you doing?!"

I feel my world begin to collapse on the outside, making me fall to my knees. Dana rushes over and holds onto my shoulders. "Oh god, Dana...Dana..."

"It's okay Max, it's okay. Just let it out, I'm here. I'm here." She kneels next to me and holds me, rubbing my back.

We sit there for a long time. I don't know how long we're there like that, embracing each other on the forest floor while I sob like a child, but eventually things calm down. My sobs slowly become silent, and my tears slow from a stream to the occasional drip. I slowly hear the birds again, the babbling brook somewhere near by making it's usual sound as if nothing is happening.

"D-dana..." I sniffle, feeling myself able to speak again as my breathing is yet again under my control.

"Yes Max?" She is running her fingers through my hair, still holding me close to her.

"I have a secret that you can never tell to anyone. Promise me that you'll never tell...."

"I promise, I won't tell a soul." She pull back and holds out her hand, her pinkie sticking out. I laugh for a moment, wrapping my pinkie around hers and sniffling again. "Take your time Max, there's not rush to-"

"I'm gay." There is an audible silence between us. Time seems to slow down, the earth around us going on as usual, neither conscious nor caring towards my personal struggles.

"What?"

"I'm gay, Dana. I've never had feelings for a boy, but I fall in love with girls..." I can feel my heart beating faster and my breath is getting short again.

_Oh god, I've done it, I've done it now. She's going to hate me and tell the whole school and before I know it everyone will hate me and I'll be all alone and..and-_

"Okay." She hugs me again and holds me tight, making me very confused.

"D-dana!"

"Yes?"

"I just told you that I love girls. I'm gay, a lesbian, a Dyke, scum of the earth homosexual. Why aren't you shunning me....?"

Dana sighs, slowly moving back and sitting down. I look behind me and move the knife, sitting down and looking back at her. "Do you really think that it's so bad to be gay?"

"No, but it's what we've always been told..." I take a deep breath and look around us. "Even if we were close friends, I'd expect you to be disgusted with what I am."

There is a beat of silence where I'm looking away from her, too scared to look back. "I'm Bi."

"Huh?" I look back at her, raising my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm bi, bisexual. I go both ways, play for both teams, I like chicks and dudes." She takes a few breaths and shakes her head. "I'm not straight either."

"Oh." I think for a minute, trying to process this new information. "S-so...I assume this means we're keeping each other's secrets?"

"Yes, yes it does." She nods slowly, looking over at the knife for a moment. "You know, I'm here for you Max. If you want, I would really like to be your friend."

I nod, smirking slightly. "I'd like that." I stand up, looking over at the knife and taking it, sticking it into a dead tree next to us. "Let's get out of here...friend..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you ever feel like you need to end it, please don't. Even if it doesn't feel like it, there are people out there who care. There are people who can help you. Please, talk to someone. Whether it's a professional, a person on a hotline, or just a good friend, talk to somebody and get some help.
> 
> For those of you who don't like this subject matter, I'll keep it restricted to the next chapter for now and stay away from it for a while afterwards. I hope I didn't cause anyone any pain or grief. Please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this chapter and, as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	8. ...Casue I Think Dark Thoughts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some music to set the tone (For those who like such things) :  
> "Smother" By Daughter  
> "Black Flies" By Ben Howard

I blink, feeling a hand on my shoulder. "Max..." I see Chloe looking at me with a face that is both concerned and frustrated. I look around and see that we're standing at her truck. The sun is setting over the horizon and I find myself still slightly dazed. "What. is. going. on..." Chloe's grip on my shoulder tightens, making me look back at her. I begin to shake, feeling like her eyes are going to rip right through my very being.

"I-I... I don't feel safe talking here..." I close my eyes tight and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

Chloe's grip quickly loosens and her voice takes on a loving, soothing tone."Alright Max, where do you want to talk?"

"Your room..." I look at her again, blinking a few tears away. "I can't go home tonight Chloe, I just can't..."

"It's okay Max, I'm not making you go home..." She leans in and kisses my forehead, sighing quietly. "Give me your stuff and I'll throw it in the back. You can hop in."

I nod slowly and hold out my stuff for her to grab. "Okay." She takes my skateboard and helmet, setting them in the bed of the truck as I climb into the passenger seat. I close the door and buckle up, staring out the window and looking towards the woods.

_It could have been over, a long time ago. But I had to let her talk me out of those woods..._

The truck starts and Chloe closes her door, backing up and starting down the road. After a few moments, she sighs and clears her throat. "No one can hear us here Max." I stay silent, looking out the window and fidgeting with my hands. "Just... open up when you're ready, love." I stay silent, looking out the window as I feel the tears beginning to flow. My vision blurs and I force myself to not start crying out loud.

_No one wants me here. I'm just a burden on her..._

I watch as blurred patches of green fly by the window, making me resist the urge to curl into a ball and sob. "Just let me know when we're at your house..."

Chloe doesn't answer, but soon we make a turn, followed soon by a few more. After a couple of minutes, the truck slows down and turns, stopping. The engine shuts off and Chloe reaches over, patting my shoulder. "We're here." I grunt in response and get out of the truck, seeing that her parent's car isn't in the driveway. I walk up to the front door and wait, hearing Chloe walking up behind me. When she reaches the door, I pretend to look at the flower bed next to the door, only seeing the blurry outlines of the roses. I hear the door open and I rush inside, moving over to the stairs and finding the railing, using it to help me get up the stairs as fast as I can. I walk into Chloe's room, hearing her yelling my name behind me. I can hear the door slam shut and she begins running up the stairs. I find myself standing in her room, seeing that the curtains are all closed.

_Good. I'd have to close them if they were open..._

"Max... Max, what's going on?" I hear her breathing heavier as she walks into the room slowly. "Talk to me!"

"Close the door." My voice comes out monotone and dead. I can feel the tension growing in the air, my gut tying itself into knots. When I hear the door close, I slowly turn around, looking at Chloe and seeing her face. She looks back with tears in her eyes and a trembling lip. I walk up to her, taking her hand and holding it between us. "Hold your fingers straights up, like you're counting to 4." Chloe does and I move her hand up, pressing it to my wrist. "This is where I pressed a knife to my skin when I was a starting my junior year." I hold her hand there for a moment before moving it up to my collar bone, slowly pressing it against my throat. "And this is where I put the knife later that year."

Silence hangs in the room for a minute, the air growing thicker and my heart beginning to beat harder. "Max-"

"You know what sound, that I hate the most?" Chloe opens her mouth to say something, but closes it, shaking her head. "The sound that this makes." I move her hand over my heart, pressing it hard into my chest. "Every time I can hear or feel this, I know that I'm going to have to get up and walk into a place where I'm not wanted. If people knew who I am, knew what I am, I wouldn't be treated a fraction as well as I am right now. I am an unwanted, unwelcome intruder to their existence that is hiding from them. I'm just a wolf in sheep's clothing and I'm going to always either be the person lying to them about what I am, or the person that they're going to try and run out of town." I take a deep breath, trying to keep the tears back, but it's too late. "I am just a worthless burden that would be better off dead..."

"Maxine Caulfield, you are wrong. Don't even try to talk about yourself that way because it's not true." Chloe takes her hand from mine and reaches up, holding my face so that we're looking eye to eye. "You are a beautiful young woman who deserves to be happy. You deserve to live and feel and love. You aren't a burden and you are never, ever worthless."

I stare into her eyes, feeling my lip tremble as I try to keep myself from falling apart. "I don't know if I can accept that..."

She rests her forehead against mine, still looking into my eyes. "Well I'm going to stay here and keep pointing it out to you until you realize it's true." I find my breathing is getting harder and I can't hold back anymore. I close my eyes and sob, wrapping my arms around Chloe's neck and moving so that I can bury my face in her shoulder. She wraps her arms around my waist and holds me close as I learn on her for balance. As I weep, I feel Chloe slowly rubbing my back, whispering into my ear. "It's okay love, it's okay." She whispers words of comfort into my ears as I weep like a child, clinging to her for dear life

Time loses meaning as I hold onto Chloe, feeling her presence and affection sooth me. After what I can only assume is a while, I find myself sniffling, feeling much more calm and a little hungry. "C-chloe....?"

"Yes Max?"

"Can we get something to eat? I'm hungry..."

Chloe nods, still holding me close. "Of course, baby. Anything you have in mind?"

"W-well... how about you make something we can share? Like, Ramen noodles or... something?"

"Ramen noodles sounds good to me." She kisses my forehead, pulling back and smiling at me. "Let's go down stairs and you can sit on the couch while I cook us some dinner." She walks over to the corner and grabs a big stuffed shark. "You can hang with Mr Sharkie while I'm in the kitchen." She walks to the door and I follow behind her as we make out way down stairs. As Chloe walks into the kitchen and starts moving around the pots and pans, I walk into the living room. I take a seat on the couch, slowly realizing how tired I am. I lay down, curling up some and holding Mr Sharkie close to my chest.

_This couch is so comfortable, and Mr Sharkie is so fluffy, I might just...fall...asleep..._

I feel my thoughts slow and my eyelids get heavy and close as I slowly surrender to sweet, sweet sleep.

\---------------------------------

I feel lips against mine, making my eyes slowly flutter open. I see Chloe, kneeling infront of me with of sappy grin on her face. "Okay sleeping beauty, time for supper."

I nod, slowly sitting up and moving to one side. Chloe sits next to me and holds takes a big bowl from the table. She puts the bowl in her lap and hands me a fork. I take it and stick it in and spinning it around, collecting some of the noodles. I lean in and take a bite, slurping up the ends of the noodles. As I chew, I can taste the flavor and I hum in delight. "Chloe, I looove the beef flavored Ramen, thank you."

She presses her lips to my head and ruffles my hair a little. "No problem cutie."

Chloe and I spend the next half our passing the fork between us, taking small mouthfuls of noodles and eventually sipping the broth. When we've finished off everything, Chloe sets the bowl off to the side and she stands up. I yawn, looking up at her. "We should go to bed..."

Chloe nods, smirking at me. "Yes, we should." She leans down, putting one arm behind my back and other under my knees. She picks me up and I let out a surprised squeak, holding onto Mr Sharkie tighter with one arm, wrapping the other around Chloe's neck. "Don't worry cutie, I won't drop you." She carries me up the stairs and into her room, pushing the door closed with her foot. She sets me down on the bed and takes Mr Sharkie, setting him on the night table beside her bed. I yawn again, pushing off my jeans and shirt, letting them drop to the floor. I take off my socks and toss them to the side, moving the covers aside and moving under them. "Don't you want the sweatpants again?"

"Noooo, I just want youuuuuu." I hold out my arms, feeling my eyelids getting heavier by the minute. "Cuddle meee..."

Chloe chuckles and strips down, crawling under the sheets with me, pulling me close and cuddling with me. "I'm here Max, I'm not going anywhere."

"You better...not....go....anywhere...." My eyelids slowly close, my whole body feeling heavier as it sinks into the bed and I relax into Chloe's embrace.

"Goodnight baby. I'll be here for you all night." Chloe's voice sounds so soft and comforting, that I feel the beginnings of a though on the edge of my mind, but it fades away as sleep takes me again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. I'm here with another update and a little something to say. This story is something that hits close to home for me, so I have to write this a certain way. If it gets a little too real or too hard to read, just let me know. I hope you all enjoyed and as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	9. ...I Don't Have to Think Around Her...

"Max." I grumble, hearing the angelic voice whispering in my ear. "Max, wake up." I feel something shaking me gentle, making me smile. "Maaaax, get up for church." I immediately stiffen, gripping onto something in my hands and opening my eyes, seeing Chloe laying next to me.

"Excuse me? I think I'm going deaf, I could swear you said the C word."

"What, Church?" I wince, nodding slowly. "Aweee Max, calm your tits. I mean, they're great, but that's besides the point."

"Chloeee!" I smack her shoulder, making her laugh. "No, bad girl."

"Oh, you're calling me a bad girl now? This is going somewhere that isn't meant for Sunday. Do I need to take you to confession?"

I groan, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "Shut up. I'm not going to church with you."

Chloe's face drops and she frowns. "Why Max? I figured you'd be in church on Sunday, considering where we are. Besides, there's nothing to worry about. I'll be right by your side."

"Chloe..." I take a deep breath, thinking about what to say. "Do you know about Tantalus?"

"Yeah. He was the Greek guy that was punished for eternity because he was forever hungry with fruit hanging above his head just out of reach. He was also thirsty but the water would always move away from him before he could get a drink. He was basically in his own hell."

"Every moment you would be by my side is a moment that I would remember that I'm as gay as I can possibly be and you're hand would be the fruit to my hunger. In a church especially, where the homophobia is turned up to 11 all the time." Chloe stay quiet for a moment, looking into my eyes. I stare back at her and I can feel my stomach churn.

_Please, just realize that I can't do it..._

"Hey, at least you aren't in hell."

"Every waking moment I'm in this town is my own hell, Chloe. I don't need another reminder that I'm not welcome here." I take the blanket and pull it around the two of us. "Let's just lay here and enjoy each other's company."

"Max-"

"I'll do anything for you Chloe, literally anything. You say the word and I'll do it, I don't care what it is. Just don't make me go to that church..." I start shaking, feeling light headed.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Love." Chloe places her hand on my cheek, resting her forehead on mine and closing her eyes. "I won't make you do anything you aren't okay doing."

I close my eyes, nodding slowly and clinging to her. I take a few deep breaths, trying to relax some. "C-chloe?"

"Yeah Max?" Chloe reaches up and starts running her hand through my hair, making me relax even more.

"I'm sorry." My shaking lessens to the point that it's almost under control. "I'm scared of churches."

"It's okay Max, I'm not upset." She starts rubbing my back, kissing my shoulder. "You wanna talk about it?"

I sigh, feeling the stress leave my body where she touches me, my mind stopping for a minute. "Hmm? Oh... Well, I just... remember last night when I said I was an abomination?" I can feel her nod, still rubbing my back. "Well, I feel really bad when I'm in churches. Not just the whole homophobia thing, but being there makes me feel closer to God. And when I was younger and I didn't know my sexuality, or even when I was trying to deny it, feeling that closeness was comforting. But now, now that I understand that I'm gay, it feels... perverse. I feel like this... thing. I feel like I shouldn't be there, that I don't belong."

Chloe pulls back, resting her hand on my cheek again. I open my eyes, seeing a few tears dripping from her eyes. "Max, I need you to listen to me, and listen to me good. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

I look at her for a moment, taking a deep breath and nodding. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Okay, now listen close to me. Listen to my words and really absorb what I'm saying." She takes a deep breath, blinking a few tears away. Chloe looks me in the eye, peering straight into my soul. "You are _not_ and abomination. You're gay, that it. There is nothing wrong with who you are and, no matter how much it feels like the opposite, there are other people out there that understand you're just another human being."

I reach up, wiping away some of her tears. Chloe closes her eyes, a few more tears flowing down her cheek. "Chloe, why are you crying?"

She laughs bitterly to herself, shaking her head slightly. "Because I hate seeing you in pain..."

I sniffle, wiping away a few tears of my own. When I'm done, I lean in and kiss her on the lips, wrapping my arms around her neck. Chloe kisses me back and I can taste the salt of her tears. I keep kissing her as long as I can, feeling myself begin to get light headed as I pull away. Our foreheads are resting together again and I feel myself begin to think about what's going on. "Chloe, if I were to go with you, would you promise to stay by my side?"

"Every second we'd be there, I'd be right by your side."

"Okay." I clear my throat, taking a few deep breaths. "I want to try going to church with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I trust you and I want to be around you. I don't know why you wanna go to church, but I think that it'd be a good exercise in 'don't be gay with your girlfriend in public'."

"Oh shit, you're right." Chloe sighs, shaking her head. "We can't be gay as fuck around other people, can we?"

"No, not unless they're in on our relationship. So, around the other LGBT students from the closet club. And... maybe your parents?" Chloe chuckles and nods, yawing briefly.

_Uuugh, so cute..._

"Max, my parents know I'm as queer as a $7 dollar bill. Honestly, I could walk downstairs, butt naked with rainbow flags painted on every inch of my body and they'd just assume that we ran out of towels in the bathroom and I'm grabbing a fresh one."

I giggle, covering my mouth and moving back from her a few inches. "You sound like you're speaking form experience."

"What can I say, it was gay pride day and I was making a statement."

I raise an eyebrow and narrow my eyes slightly, looking at her suspiciously. "How exactly did you make this statement?"

"I walked down mainstream in a belly shirt and shorts." She sighs and rolls her eyes. "I was gonna wear a bikini but that would be a little too revealing. Plus I'd have to pain so way more skin and that would have been dangerous. You can literally smother yourself if you clog up all the pores over your body, so I had to keep from painting too much."

"I see." I place on hand on her hip and the other in her hair. "Well, you're not doing something like that around here."

"And why not?"

"Well first of all, if you're lucky, the towns people would run you out of town at gun point and second of all..." I lean in, whispering into her ear. "You're mine." I kiss her earlobe, making her twitch a little. "I don't share either."

"Neither do I." I squeak as Chloe pulls me down, biting my neck.

"Ahh, don't leave a mark..." Chloe's teeth scrape along my skin for a moment, making me shiver.

"Well, someone likes that." I look over at her and see her shit eating grin.

"I thought someone wanted to go to church today."

"Well shit Max, if I'm going to pray for forgiveness, I ought as well have some fun sins that need forgiving." She runs her hand down my side and reaches under the bottom of my shirt, caressing my hip. "Besides, that church can wait. I need to mark what's mine."

\------------------------------

I wince, buckling up my seatbelt and looking over at Chloe as she starts the truck. "Well, at least I won't be forgetting who's mark I have on me."

"Ha, since we're in the closet you're really the only person who can know."

"Good point." Chloe begins driving down the road towards my house, keeping an eye on the road. I look her over, seeing the way her plain white dress contrasts her hair and eyes.

_Damn, she looks so hot in a dress. Good thing she doesn't wear them that much._

I sigh to myself, preparing myself for the service that we're going to be walking into.

_We're going to be a few minutes late, which is good because it gets rid of some of the forced social interactions with the bigots. Plus, with my family being already there, I won't have to worry about being surprised at home, but I do worry about the hickies on my hip. I don't want anyone to see. Looks like it's hoodies for me._

As we roll up to my place, I sigh, getting unbuckled. "Umm, do you mind if I take a quick shower?"

"No, go ahead. Can I come in?"

"In where, to the shower or my house."

"Well, either one works for me..." She winks at me and I can feel myself blush.

"I-I uh... I don't know Chloe. That's kinda soon, don't you think? I mean, I don't wanna be naked with you. I mean, I'm sure you have an amazing body, not that I've been looking! But uh, you know..."

"Chillax Max, I'm just teasing you." She sly reaches over and squeezes my hand. "This relationship is a joint effort. I'm not making you do something you're not comfortable doing. We can move as fast or slow as we want, as long as we're on the same page and agree with what's going on."

I breath a sigh of relief, closing my eyes for a moment. "Thank you."

"No problem sweetheart. Now how about your gay little ass gets in the shower. We want to get there _before_ the service ends you know."

"You do realize it doesn't start for another 25 or 30 minutes, right?"

"I know, but we're gonna be about 10 minutes late and I wanna catch most of it." She unbuckles and opens the door. "Don't rush though, I don't wanna be there when the pull out the baskets and start collecting money."

"Same." I walk up to the front door and pull out my key. "Just chill in the living room, I'll make it quick."

\--------------------------

I walk out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around my waist just high enough that it covers my hips.

_No one's around, but it's best to get into the habit._

I walk into my room, closing the door and drying off with the towel. I put on my bra and underwear, looking down at the hickies. I can see Chloe's teeth marks in my skin, my skin purple and still even a little red. I slowly reach over, pressing my fingers against it and shivering at the sensation.

_I love it..._

I look over at my bed, seeing my camera.

_I'm not going to be able to sleep at Chloe's forever, why not give her a few things to remember me by?_

I go over and grab the Polaroid, walking up to my mirror. I turn my body so that my hip is facing the mirror, snapping a picture. I hear the shutter and watch the film spit out. I pull it out and set it aside, thinking of another pose.

_I don't want something too provocative, just... tasteful._

I put one of my hands on my hip and raise my eyebrow, moving the camera angle a little. I hear the shutter again, repeating what I did for the last picture.

_One last one, what do I do...?_

I put a little bend in my knees, puckering my lips and hold my hand like I'm blowing a kiss. I hold the camera turn around so that the camera is pointed at me with the mirror behind me. I take the shot, setting the film aside with the other two and I set my camera down where it was before.

_I should really get dressed before I make us super late..._

I go to my closet and take out my church dress, squeezing into my dress shoes. I grab the pictures and walk down stairs, going into the living room to find Chloe looking at a picture of me walking to school from the first day of this year. "I hope you're not staring at my butt."

"Ahh! Oh, Max, shit. You scared me..." Chloe holds her hand over her heart, holding onto the wall for balance.

"Oh? I didn't know I looked that bad." I hold the pictures behind me, smiling as I walk towards her.

"No no no, you'r beautiful, I'm just worried your parents will come home early or something. Kinda awkward if I met them this way."

"Nah, they'll be there until mid afternoon." I walk closer, stopping infront of her. "I do suggest that you lock the truck though, I don't want anyone getting into the glove box while we're in there."

"Hmm, why's that Max?" Chloe looks at me and I smirk at her. I move my hands infront of me and hold out the pictures.

"Because I have a present for you." I hand them to her and she looks through them, her eyes growing a little wider and her jaw hanging open a little. "I did what I was comfortable with. I wanted you to have something just for you and no one else. I know that most girls probably show more, but I'm not really ready to show any more than that. I mean, you already saw that this morning, so..."

"Hey, I love them. They're great. Now we both have something that's only for the other person to know about and see." She pats my hip and I wince slightly, smiling and nodding. "Besides, you're a beautiful woman with standards. I like that. I've had some people that I've been with and it's moved faster than this and I've been with people where it's moved slower. It's nothing negative towards you that you're going at a different pace. It's just what you're comfortable with." She kisses my forehead and I smile. "Besides, I wouldn't get to have fun imagining things if you just showed me everything from the start."

"Chloeee!" I feel my face grow hot and I know that I'm blushing badly. "You keep teasing me like this and I'll look like a tomato."

"haha, fine. Let's get on the road." We begin walking towards the door and just before we reach it, I grab onto her arm for a moment.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah Max?"

"You promise that those photos will go no where, right? They're just for you and no one else..."

Chloe turns to face me again, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tight. "I promise, cross my heart, I won't show these to anyone. They're just for me."

"Okay." I nod slowly, sighing happily. "I'll keep the hickie _under wraps_ if you know what I mean."

"haha, yeah. You ready?"

I look around some, taking in the scene of my house. "Yeah, let's go." With that, we walk out the front door and I lock it, getting into Chloe's truck. She reaches over and opens the glove box, putting the photos inside and closing it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with the next chapter and I'm hoping that I'll have a little bit of a buffer so that I don't have to worry about getting a chapter written every Friday. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, let me know in the comments and as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	10. Selective Sermons

Chloe slowly pulls the key out, looking over at the church and sighing. "You know, I've been to a lot of churches, but this is the first time in years that I've been nervous."

"Why that Chlo?" I unbuckle, turning to face her.

"Because, all of the other places I've lived have been open to homosexuality. This is the first time in years that I've been to a church that wasn't either gay-friendly or at least tolerant of gay people."

"Ha, welcome to my world. I've never been to a place that was open to anything like that."

"How are the services out here?"

"Oh, you'll see..." I can hear the bitterness in my voice, but I just take a deep breath and reach for my door handle. "Hey Chloe..."

'Yeah Max?"

"You don't think of me as a loose woman, do you?"

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

I think for a moment, looking at her slowly. "Well, because I don't show my body to other people like I've shown to you. This is going faster than what I'm used to Chloe. I've never had a relationship go this far..."

She reaches over and puts her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it for a moment and then letting go. "Like I said before, we'll move at whatever speed is right. We can slow down and back things up, I won't get upset if it's what you want."

"I mean, I like where we are. I don't really want to go much farther until we spend more time together." I take a deep breath and look down at the floor. "I would like to keep the kissing and stuff, that's pretty... interesting." I can feel myself blush and neither of us say anything for a few moments.

"Okay. Whatever works for you works for me, love. Just let me know where the lines are and I won't cross them." I can hear the smile in her voice and I sight, nodding slowly.

"Let's get in there before someone thinks we're like, gay or something."

Chloe holds the back of one hand against her forehead and presses the other over her heart. "Oh no, being gay?! I don't know how I could ever do such a thing!" We both start laughing and we get out, walking towards the front door of the church.

As we approach, I can feel the skin on the back of my neck standing up and I can hear the choir singing. As we get closer, I take a deep breath and check my phone for the time.

_Well, it looks like we're here just in time for the sermon. Oh yayy..._

Chloe slowly opens the door, walking inside and holding the door for me. When I walk in, she makes sure that the door closes quietly and I find her looking around the small room that has a door to the main area of the church. pamphlets are all over the counters ranging from the various sins and how to avoid them to a pamphlet on how to be a virtuous person. Chloe looks at me and I nod my head to the side, walking very quietly up the side staircase in the far side of the room. We walk up and find ourselves in the empty balcony. We sit down in the back pew and I lean a little closer, whispering to Chloe. "We haven't had enough people to fill the church on a normal Sunday in years. The only time this balcony really gets used is when the holidays come around and everyone comes to church once or twice."

"Ahh, I see." Chloe looks around at the pews infront of us, seeing no one else around. She reaches her hand between us and rests it on the bench.

I move my hand next to hers, poking it a few times. She warps her fingers around mine and I squeeze her hand, taking a deep breath. "This is dangerous, Chlo..."

I hear her scoff under her breath and she squeezes my hand. "If you think this is dangerous then I might be a little too much for you sweetheart."

I roll my eyes, hearing the singing come to a stop and the preacher clear his throat. "Brothers and sisters, I come to you today with the word of God needing to be spread." I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I slump down a little, feeling my stomach lurch. "Brothers and sisters, I come to you today to tell you of a great evil that has plagued our community. We must eradicate it and make sure it never returns!" He opens up his bible, flipping around a few pages. "Today I will read to you from the book of Leviticus." He clears his throat and I can hear Chloe start to squeeze my hand harder.

"This better not be what I think it is..." I see that her knuckles are white, but I can only wait for the pastors words.

"Leviticus 20:13. 'If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.'" He looks around the congregation, but not up at the balcony. "I know that this evil is in our community. We are not allowed to follow the words of God to cure our town of this work of the devil, but we must cleanse our souls of any association with this evil! If you make friends with them, you are as bad as them! If you try to help them, you are as bad as them! If you try to make excuses for them, you are as bad as them!" I can see, even from so far away, his fists are clenched and his vein are popping out.

"Max." I feel Chloe squeeze my knee. I look over and see a fire burning in her eyes while her body language stays calm. "Let's get out of here." She lets go and gets up, walking to the staircase. I follow her and we make out way down the stairs and as we reach the outside door, I can hear Chloe's teeth grinding together. We make it outside and over to Chloe's truck. She throws the door open and gets in, buckling up and looking over at me before I even have have my door open. "Come on Max, let's blow this joint." I get in and we close our doors, As I buckle up, she puts the truck in gear, driving out of the parking lot and away from the church.

\----------------------------

After a few minutes, we pull up to the light house. Chloe parks the truck in the empty parking lot and undoes her seat belt. Just as I get my seat belt off, Chloe is sitting next to me, her hands on my face and her lips pressed against mine. I sigh into the kiss, kissing her back. I turn my body to face her more, wrapping my arms around her neck.

We stay like that for a long time, losing ourselves in each other. When we finally stop, her forehead is against mine and we're breathing heavily. "Max..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." I move back and look at her, seeing a few tears on her face. "I should have listened to you and stayed in bed..."

I sigh and shrug. "Well, we can go crawl back into bed later. How about we go up the light house first. Have you ever been there?"

"No, I just know about this place from when we were moving in and we drove past."

I nod and kiss her cheek, opening my door and getting out. "The view is amazing. Come on." Chloe follows close behind me and we make our way up to the top. I walk over to the bench and sit down, looking over at her and seeing her wide eyes looking at the sky. "You like it?"

"Like it? Max, this is beautiful. I love it..." Chloe sits next to me and I rest my head on her shoulder. She holds one of my hands in her lap and leans her head on top of mine.

We sit there and look out over the water for a while. We can see the town in the distance and I can hear the church bell ringing. I squeeze Chloe's hand and she squeezes back. "You know, I lied to you Chloe..."

"Oh? Lied about what?"

"Yesterday I told you that I couldn't go home, but that's not true." I pull back and look at her, looking into her eyes. "I'm home whenever I'm with you." I take a deep breath and sniffle a few times. "You've made me feel more alive in the last you days than I have felt in the last few years."

"Max..." Her mouth hangs open for a minute and her eyes, glistening in the morning light of the sun.

I reach over and hold her jaw, leaning in and giving her a short kiss. After I move back, I hold her mouth closed and smile at her. "You don't need to say anything, just be with me."She nods and looks out at the ocean. I hug her and rest my head on her shoulder, looking out at the sea as well.

"Won't you have to go home eventually?" Her mouth frowns and i sigh. "You're family will want you there..." I pause for a moment, thinking about what to do.

_If I do this, there's no going back..._

I squeeze her hand "Do you love me?"

"Yes" She squeezes back, her voice firm and unwavering.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course." She chuckles. "Like you even have to ask."

"Do you mind sharing the bed with me?" I blush a little and look at her anxiously.

She smiles and shakes her head. "Not at all, love."

"Then let's go. We don't have much time to waste!" I stand up and pulls Chloe by her hand, pulling her back towards the truck.

_I hope dad talks the preacher's ear off today..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am happy to bring you the next installment of this story and I hope that you enjoyed it. And as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	11. Pack Your Bags

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a tad shorter than normal, but I need to break the update silence. Enjoy :)

I sit in the passenger seat and tap my foot, anxiously waiting for us to pull into my driveway. As we approach my house, I can see that there is no one there, no cars being in the driveway. "Yes! Okay, you follow me up there and then take down the stuff I give you. We can throw this stuff where ever we have to, just as long as we get it out of the house."

"Okay." Chloe nods as she pulls up to the front door and parks the truck, pulling out the key and throwing them under the floormat. "Let's do this." We both throw our doors open and make our way to the front door. I open the front door and make my way to my room. I throw the door open and dig under my bed, pulling out a few backpack. I take the first one and open my sock drawer, dumping it inside. I do the same to my underwear drawer and the top drawer of my desk where I keep all the important stuff. I set my camera inside before zipping it up, handing it to Chloe.

"Set this is in the truck on my seat, this is gonna be somewhat delicate." Chloe nods and heads off down the hall and I can her hear going down the stairs. I quickly go around my room and gather everything that I want, putting it in my bag. I make sure to throw in a dress just incase I need to dress up for something. After I gather everything, I sigh and shake my head.

 _Well, it's time to go somewhere I'm loved and wanted._..

I take my bag and walk down to Chloe's truck, putting the bag on the floor with the other one. As I get in, I can hear a car from down the road. "Shit!" I get in and crouch down, closing the door. "Okay, ask them where you can find the church, say you got lost."

"Okay." Chloe sighs and gets out of the truck. I stay as low as possible, almost laying on the floor as I do so. I can hear a vehicle pull up near by and shut off. "HI! I'm sorry to intrude, but I was looking for the church, I've seem to have gotten a tad bit lost."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but you've missed the service for today. But I can tell you where the church is for next Sunday if you'd like." My mother's voice glide across my eardrums like nails on a chalkboard.

"Thank you, Ma'am." I can tell that Chloe is using her fake voice. I can almost see the mask of a smile on her face.

_I'm glad she realized church was a bad idea. I don't think I can ever go back into that building..._

I breathe as quietly as I can as my mother gives Chloe the directions to the church from our house. "So, will I be seeing you next week?"

"We'll see Ma'am, we'll see." I can hear almost a rebellious tone in her voice as she gets closer. I make enough room for her to get in and use the pedals, while keeping as well hidden as I can. Chloe opens the door and gets in, turning the key before her door is even shut. She puts on her seatbelt and backs out of the driveway, putting the truck in drive and we begin making our way down the street.

After a few turns, i sit up and settle into my seat, buckling up. "Holy shit, that was close." I look over at her and feel my heart beating faster. "Thank you, so much."

"No problem." She keeps her eyes focused on the road, distraction obvious in her voice. As we make our way back to her house, I can see that the town is starting to get home from church. We pull into Chloe's driveway and we each take a bag, jumping out and walking up to her front door. "You know, that didn't take long. If it had gone on any longer we would have messed up and gotten caught."

"Oh, I know." Chloe shuts the door behind me as I enter, taking my shoes off at the door. I walk upstairs and open the door to her room, walking inside and gently setting the bag down next to the closet. Chloe sets the other bag next to the one I put down and yawns, walking behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist. "Hey Max."

"Yeah?"

"Why were you so eager to leave, just like that?" I stiffen slightly, not liking where this is going.

"I told you church was a bad idea Chloe, I thought we'd covered this."

"Not from the church Einstein, I'm talking about why you wanted to get your stuff out of your house so fast. It's not like you're an adult or anything." She chuckles as she kisses my shoulder.

I sigh and relax against her a little. "I think we should lay down first. I need to relax a little."

"Okay babe, I can get behind that." She steps back and we both get out of our dresses, crawling under the sheets and embracing each other. I feel her arms holding me close and my ear is pressed against her chest, her heart beating loudly in my ear. I breath, deep and slow, thinking about what to tell Chloe.

_I want to talk to someone, and she deserves to know... But how do I tell her about it? What do I even talk about...?_

I feel her warm breath on my head, one of her hands rubbing my back as she plays with my hair. "Chloe?"

"Hmm?" She keeps rubbing my back and playing with my hair, making me close my eyes in comfort.

"I need to talk to you about my family." I feel her kiss my head and sigh.

"I was wondering when you would. I'm all ears, Max."

"Okay. Well, it was always there, but the most predominant thing that come to mind is a few days after school starts. I'd just gotten back from school and I was in my room doing homework..."

\---------------------------------------------

I sigh, looking up at the ceiling.

_Why do they have to assign homework so early?! Why can't they at least wait until after we've knocked the cob webs out of our brains before trying to make us do all of this?_

I write the answer to the next question and move to the next one, the smell of pasta getting stronger and stronger by the minute.

_It doesn't help that dad is cooking dinner. I could probably smell that in the deepest of comas..._

"Max! Jack! Supper is ready!" I can hear my brother groaning in the other room as I put my homework to the side, getting up and walking to my door.

"Be right there, mom!" I walk over to Jack's room and knock on the door.

"Come in." I open the door and see jack sliding something under his pillow and standing up from his bed. "Gotta wash my hands." I roll my eyes and step aside, walking down stairs as he goes to the bathroom.

"Don't take too long, Jack." I tell him over my shoulder, "I wanna eat."

"You're 18, you can eat without my help!" I can hear the water running and shake my head.

"You know we eat as a family or not at all, just hurry up." I make my way to the kitchen and take my seat, hearing Jack rush downstairs. "Hey dad, how was your day?" I scoop some spaghetti onto my plate, my mouth watering as I look at the juicy meatballs scattered throughout the noodles.

"Oh, you know, the same old thing. I was just doing my work and then the guys at the water cooler started talking about the football game last week and so I had to join in." He sits down just as Jack finishes getting some food onto his plate and passes the spaghetti to mom. "By the time we finished, it was almost closing time. It's not my fault it took so long to let them see that they've chosen the wrong team and that they should start supporting ours."

"Yeah, but come on dad, we're all entitled to our own opinions."

"That it true, but some people take that entitlement farther than they deserve to..." My father says a quick prayer and then we begin eating.

"Ryan, you didn't have another run in with...him, did you?" mom's voice is restrained, but her distress still leaks through.

"Vanessa, yes it was him but you don't need to starts up this again-"

"Starts this up again?!" Mom drops her fork and her face twists in anger. "Ryan, you know that faggot spawn of his got those sins from somewhere and I'm telling you it was the father that taught it those sins!"

Dad puts his fork down and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Vanessa, the man isn't gay-"

"How do you know that, Ryan?!" Mom throws her arms up.

"Because I can tell when someone is a queer. I'm telling you, there's a better chance of MAX being raging lesbian than there is of that man being gay." I swallow my food and begin to sweat.

Mom narrows her eyes and leans in close. "Don't you dare compare our children to those savage deviants. They are the spawn of Satan and they should all just **fucking** **kill** themselves! They are nothing more than a menace to a God fearing family like us!" She pounds her fist on the table as she speaks, turning and stomping into the other room.

I look over to dad and he shrugs. "Well, it's not like I'm some kinda fag sympathizer. I just know the man isn't gay." He turns his attention to his food and begins eating.

\-----------------------------

"That's fucked up..."

I sigh, squeezing Chloe tighter. "Oh don't worry, babe. I'm just getting started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the random bit of silence, I've been so tired the last couple weeks that it's all I can do to try and add a few paragraphs at a time to my chapters. Anyways, I'm making some progress towards getting a full night's sleep and it might just happen one of these day. Life is about to get wild and I'll have little time to myself, but I'll spend it writing updates. Anyways, as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	12. What family...? (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for another flashback chapter! This chapter and the next one will be either totally or mostly in the past. Just letting you know in advance. Hope you enjoy! :)

_ **Several days after the dinner incident:** _

I sit at my desk, doing homework and I take a deep breath. As my pencil dances across the paper, my mind wanders to the world around me. The tab on my laptop is open to an article about different female celebrities that came out.

_I wish I had their will power. I'm just kind stuck here. I don't have the balls to do that._

I sigh and shake my head, scrolling through some of their stories despite having read them all before. After a few moments, there is a knock on my door and I almost jump out of my seat. I change to a new tab and shut the computer, turning so I can face the door. "Come in!" I take a few deep breaths as the door opens and Jack pokes his head in.

"Hey Ma-.... Oh, am I... interrupting something?" He raises and eyebrow and looks around. "I uhh... I can come back later if you're in the middle of something."

"No, just come in, shut the door, and explain what you're talking about." Jack comes in and gently shuts the door, walking over to my bed and sitting on the edge of it.

"Well, you're sitting alone in your room and when I knocked on the door I heard you slam your laptop shut. You sounded freaked out and when I came in you were sweating, flushed, and breathing heavy-"

"Shut up!" I pull out my phone and turn on my camera, pointing it towards me to see that he's right. I wipe my forehead and shut off my phone, setting it to the side. "It's not like I watch anything... 'adult' on my computer, Jack."

He chuckles and smirks, crossing his arms. "Max, you do realize that we share a wall." I feel my face flush more as he shakes his head. "One of the thinner walls in this house too-"

"Shut it Jack!" I turn away and try to collect what pride I can. "That's my private business. Besides, I'm 18 and I'm allowed to watch whatever I please as long as it's not breaking any laws."

"I know that genius, why do you think I'm always tired?" I hear something in his voice that makes me face him again. When I turn towards him, I see care and compassion.

"Cause you haven't figured out how to put your laptop away?"

"No, because I'm up late working ahead in class. But, I know that you like to watch 'adult' things or when mom and dad aren't home you even talk to yourself. So I listen to music so I'm not intruding on your privacy."

I stand up and sit next to him, smiling. "That's pretty mature, Jack."

"Oh please, I'm 17. Besides, I've always been mature for my age." He smiles back and I wrap my arm around him, giving him a one armed hug.

"Yeah." I let go and sigh, looking out the window. "So Jack, is there something that you had on your mind."

"There is..." When he doesn't say anything I look back and see a tear in his eye. "I uhh... I don't know about something. I trust you and I wanted to know something."

"Okay, shoot." I sit criss-cross on my bed and face him, watching as he does the same.

"I know this...this guy at school. I know him and he's a great guy. We get along and we have a great time, we're good friends. But I learned something about him that scares me."

I try to swallow the nervous lump in my throat and keep from panicking. "What did you learn."

There's a beat of silence before he speaks again. "He loves me..." I hear the waiver in his voice and I take a minute to process what he's saying. "He told me that he loved me and now I don't know what to do." A tear slowly streams down his cheek, dripping from his cheek. "You're the only person that I could turn to..."

I reach over and rub his shoulder. "Jack, why am I the only person you can turn to?"

"Because I don't trust anyone else to have this conversation with." He sniffles and wipes at his eyes.

I squeeze his shoulder and he looks up at me. "Why am I the only person you can trust..." After a moment, a realization hits me. "Jack." I try to swallow the lump in my throat again and I can feel myself beginning to sweat. "Umm, you said that I sometimes talk to myself. That means, you've heard me talking...?" He nods and sniffles again, wiping away some more tears. "So, what exactly did you hear."

"I heard what I've known for a while." He takes a deep breath, blinking away another tear. "You're gay, Max."

I feel my heart stop and my stomach plummet. "W-what..?"

"I'm not stupid, Max! I've seen it for a long time!" Jack's face grows red and he pushes my hand off of his shoulder. "Remember when we went to that movie a few weeks ago? Even in the dark of the theater, I could see you in the movie. Mom and Dad weren't there and so I went to ask you something and I saw the way your face was glued to the screen. I saw the way you perked up whenever the lead woman came on screen. I saw you bite your lip and shift in your seat. You're as gay as it comes and I don't know how no one else sees it!"

I feel myself begin to panic and I put my hand over his mouth, bringing my voice down to a whisper. "Please, please please please don't tell Mom and Dad. I'll do literally _anything_ as long as you don't tell them I'm gay..." My voice cracks at the end and his face blurs as I begin to cry myself. I blink away the tears and take my hand away. "Please Jack..."

"Max, I've known for a long time. If I was going to tell them I would have done it a long time ago."

There is another silence between us as we just stare at each other, frozen in place. "Why didn't you..."

"Because I'm in the closet too, dumb ass..." He reaches over and take a tissue off of my nightstand, blowing his nose. "I've always been amazed how you can deal with being in the closet and listening to how everyone talks." he drops the used tissue in my trash can, getting another one. "I've almost cracked a few times."

"Jack..." I move in and give him a strong hug, which he returns. "You can always talk to me, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do. But you've never come to me about this kind of stuff and so I wanted to be as tough as you. I guess I failed..."

I sob and hold him tighter. "You didn't fail Jack, you didn't fail at anything..."

He rubs my back and holds me close as I cry. I sit there sobbing, for the first time in a long time feeling safe to do so infront of family.

_If I did this infront of mom or dad, they'd need a reason. They'd need an explination that I couldn't give to them. But Jack, he already knows. I can break down infront of him without having to lie..._

After a few moments I calm down and I relax, moving back and looking at Jack, seeing the worry in his eyes. "You didn't fail..."

"You've never had anyone there to help you though."

"I have." He nods slowly, looking at me and waiting for me to continue. I take a deep breath and sigh. "Remember when I lost that knife?" He nods, wiping his eyes and nose with another tissue. "Well, I didn't lose it. I left it... in the woods... where I was going to... to... to...." I start crying again and I feel his hand on my shoulder.

"I get it Max, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Thank you." I sniffle and nod, wiping my eyes. "Anyways, I was going to do that... as a freshman. But I stopped cause Dana found me. I confessed to her and she told me that it was okay. She was there for me and she's helped me through a lot of hard times." I chuckle and nod. If anything, you're stronger than I am. You've had to keep from falling apart all by yourself." I look at him and smile. "I'm proud of you Jack."

"Y-you really mean that...?"

"Of course. You're strong for keeping your secret and even stronger for reaching out for my help. It must have been a lot easier knowing about me, but it still takes guts."

"I guess it does." He look around my room for a minute and sighs. "Max, what should I do." I rub my chin for a moment, thinking about what I should say.

_Well, Dana might kill me for telling him, but Jack is family. I know he can obviously keep secrets if he hasn't pulled me outta the closet after so long._

"I meet up with Dana and talk with her about my gay issues about once a week. I could bring you a long and pretend that you've just found out about me being in the closet. If you feel comfortable, you could come out to her in your own time. We also run an underground support group for the local gay kids at school. You'd be surprised how many of them there are."

He rubs the back of his neck and blushes a little. "Well... I think it'd be nice if I hung out with just you and Dana first. You guys are easier to be around and I'm still on the fence."

"Okay, that's fine. I'm not going to push you to come out and I know that you won't either."

"Yeah." He sniffles and looks back at me, a wide smile on his face. "I do have one favor to ask."

"Sure, just name it."

"Well, I was thinking about inviting my friend over to play some video games and shit. I was gonna do it when mom and dad were gone and I was wondering if you could hangout at someone else's house that day for a few hours, just so I can show him around and have a private talk."

"Sure, but tell me this guy's name first."

"Warren. He's in your grade but he's my age."

"Yeah, I know the guys. He's a good person." I smiles at him and he nods.

"He's a great guy." Jack blushes a little and rubs the back of his neck. "He's pretty cute too..."

"I don't go that way, but I can see where you're coming from." I smile and look over at my clock. "Well, mom and dad should be home from work soon. You should probably go back to pretending to do your homework and I'll go back to pretending to do mine."

He laughs and nods. "Sure." As he stands up and walks over to the door, he pauses and looks back at me. "Thank you, Max. You've helped a lot."

"No problemo." I sigh and rub the back of my neck. "It's what real family is for..." Jack nods and turns back to the door, walking out and closing it behind him. I hear him walking into his room and a few moments later I can hear him playing one of his games.

_Well, that turned out way better than I thought it would..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that my updates have been a little off schedule lately and that is because how busy I am went from 0 to 100 hella fast recently. I'm working on my stories in my spare time and I am trying to get back onto schedule. Thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	13. What family...? (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter that's mostly flashback. I hope that you enjoy and I promise that I'll return to the present time in the story soon. Hope you enjoy! :)

I shake my head as I hold Jack by the shoulders, keeping my voice to a low whisper. "Look at me, everything's going to be okay. I know that this is tough, but I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen."

He swallows and takes a deep breath. "Okay... as long as you promise that it'll be okay, I trust you."

I smile and nod. "Thanks, now let's get up there." I point up at the tree house.

_I've always been glad that this place was in the middle of the woods and no one is around for miles, but I bet Jack is even happier about that than I am._

He makes his way up the rope ladder and I follow behind him, pulling up the ladder when I reach the top. I close the door behind me and lock it, looking out the window on the side. I can hear the rain hitting the roof and the leaves around us, bringing a calming aura to the room. The scent of damp earth reaches us, even in the trees, and I sigh happily, looking around and closing the window, locking it tight.

"Well Dana, as promised, this is my brother Jack. Jack, you obviously know Dana." The two of them look at each other and half heatedly wave. "Jack, this room is in the middle of nowhere, the door and the window are closed and locked, the ladder is up with us, and the walls have some sound absorbing foam on them. Plus, it just happens to be raining, so no one will come out here anyways." I look over to Dana and she clears her throat.

"So Max, I don't mean to be rude here but..." She looks over at Jack and clears her throat. "Why did you bring Jack along." I sigh and rub the back of my neck, pretending to be nervous.

_It's not that hard to pretend when I really am nervous. I have to try and not accidentally out my brother to my best friend..._

"Well, he found out that I'm gay. I told him that you already knew and I brought him along to just... show him I'm normal. I want him to know that I have regular friends and that even though there aren't any other gay people around, I'm still normal."

She looks at me and nods slowly before looking over at Jack. "Well Jack, what do you think of your sister's sexuality? Do you have any objections?"

Jack shakes his head and sighs. "Nope, I don't. It's not my business and even if it somehow was, I still love her. She's my sister, family always stick together."

"Good." She narrows her eyes at him and cracks her knuckles. "Max is my best friend, and you better not hurt her. I've see her go through enough misery and I don't give a damn who you are, if you hurt my friend, I will mess you up." I move over next to Dana, putting my hand on her shoulder. When she looks at me, I squeeze her shoulder and she sighs. relaxing a little. "If you're gonna be here, you ought as well know that I'm bisexual." She crosses her arms and looks around some. "That's when-"

"I know what bisexual means, Dana." His voice is mostly annoyed, but I can feel a little anger hidden underneath that annoyance.

"Hey, don't get pissed at me, I'm just making sure you know what's going on." Dana looks at me with a shrug.

"I know more than you'd think..." Jack's voice is low and somber. I can hear that he is close to crying and I move next to him, patting his shoulder and squeezing it. He looks up at me and sniffles, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Can I trust her?"

I nod slowly and pull him into a half hug. "I trust her with my life." Dana, hearing me but not Jack, gives me a curious look but stays quiet.

"I'm Bi, Dana." He sniffles again and Dana looks surprised. "I've known Max was gay for long time, but I've had my own gay panic and I just didn't know what to do. She told me that I could tag along for your talk, but she never mentioned that you were bi too."

Dana chuckles and smirks. "Well good, cause if she'd outed me I would've kicked her butt." We all chuckle before falling into a silence.

There is no tension in the air as the rain beats against the roof of the tree house and the leaves just outside. We sit there, breathing evenly and letting the calm quiet consume us. After several minutes, I clear my throat. "Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, we should probably talk about what your little 'gay panic' is Jack." He slowly nods and takes a deep breath.

\-----------------------------------

After all the explaining is done and Dana comforts Jack, giving her opinions, we sit there and play cards while waiting for the rain to stop. When it finally does, Jack and I walk through the woods with Dana to her house. "You two can stay overnight if you want, but Jack would have to sleep in the guest room."

Jack chuckles and smirks. "Should I have brought my headphones?"

I slap his shoulder,blushing and rubing my arm as Dana looks at me with an amused look. "The wall between our rooms is the thinnest one in the house. Apparently he's heard more than I thought..."

"Hahaha, I see. Well, don't worry Jack, not only do I not bite, but I'm not dating your sister!" She yawns and stretches. "Or sleeping with her."

My face burns as I blush wildly. "Dana!"

"What? I'm just letting the guy know the truth. It is a little suspicious if we drag him out here for an abridged version of the gay breakfast club and then just go sleep in the same room with no explanation."

I try to come up with a response but realize that she has a point. "Well... yeah, but... you could've been a bit less direct about it."

"I could have but I've come to realize that beating around the bush, pardon the pun, tends to lead to misunderstandings."

I just nod, the house coming into view through the trees. "Well, we're almost here." I look over at Jack and sigh. "Do you wanna stay here over night?"

"Do you think Mom and Dad would let me?" I groan and shake my head.

"He's gotta go home and I drove us here, so I'll have to stop by another time." I give Dana a tight hug and she returns it.

"Don't be a stranger, Max." She back up and looks over at Jack. "You can stop by anytime, weather you need to talk, or just need a place to get away to, you can come here."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Jack smiles and goes to hold out his arms, but holds out his hand instead.

"Oh cut it out and give me a damn hug." He shrugs and comes over, giving her a hug. She lowers her voice to a whisper that I can barely hear from a few feet away, "You're so shy that it's cute. I can see why Warren has a thing for you."

"Thanks, he's too good for me, but I'm not gonna look a gifted horse in the mouth."

"Oh hush, you're handsome and you two are going to have a great time." She pats his back and squeezes his shoulder, turning towards the house again and walking slowly. As we follow, I can see that only our car is in the driveway, meaning that Dana's parents were still gone shopping.

"You know, even though we can't say the night, we can still hangout for a little while. It's still light out and we're not going to be needed back home till about 9."

"Okay, let's go do something." Dana pulls her keys out of her pocket as we reach the door, unlocking it and stepping inside, Jack and I following a moment later.

\--------------------------------------

I shut off the engine and unbuckle my seatbelt as I park in the driveway, Jack breathing a little faster as the inside lights turn on. "Relax Jack, they're not going to know anything, you're secret's safe."

"I know, but I'm just worried they'll ground me or something. I'm really worried about making a good impression with Warren."

I look over at him and see that he's wiping his palms on his pants, sweating a little. "You know Jack, I've spent a good amount of time around the guy. Trust me when I tell you that if he cares about you the way he says he does, then you're going to be drowning in too many hugs and kisses to make a fool out of yourself."

He chuckles and nods, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, you're probably right." He opens his door and we both get out of the car. We walk to the front door and I stop to open it, feeling his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you Max, for everything."

"No problem, little brother. Now let's get in there for a dinner that hopefully doesn't have mom exploding at someone."

"Fingers crossed..." I open the door and we walk through.

**\-----------------------------------**

We lay in silence and Chloe nuzzles my neck. "Did anything else happen?"

"Well, nothing that needs to be said right now. The only eventful thing was Jack's date, but that's a story for another time."

"Next weekend maybe, instead of church?" I chuckle and Chloe squeezes me gently, making me feel warm and surrounded in love.

"Yeah, instead of church." I take a deep breath, my eyes still shut and my back to the window. "How's late is it?"

"Not late at all, it's only 2 in the afternoon."

"Okay. We should probably go do something soon." I yawn and feel her hold me tighter.

"But there's no rush now, right?" She leans in and kisses my ear, whispering gently to me. "The world can wait..."

I sigh happily, relaxing even more into her. "Yeah, the world can wait...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this ended up a little differently than I thought it would when I started, but I hope that you all liked it. And, as always...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.

**Author's Note:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


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